Because You Live
by Xx-AddictedToTwilight-xX
Summary: Bella and Edward have been best friends for a long time. They're always wrapped up in their own world. Soon, Edward starts liking someone else, and so does Bella. What will they do when they discover they have feelings for each other? AH. Normal pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is my new story! This first chapter is kind of short beacuse its the first one. **

"Bella! Hurry up!" I heard Alice call impatiently from the driveway.

"I'm coming," I called back, slinging my overnight bag across my shoulder and locking the door. I slipped the key under the eave and went to where Alice was waiting inside her yellow Porsche shaking her head to the music inside. I slid into the passenger seat beside her and, without giving me time to put on my seatbelt, she had already backed out of the driveway and was speeding down the street in the direction of her house. I put on my seatbelt quickly and threw my bag in the back.

Alice screeched to a stop in front of her house. I got out while Alice took my bag from the backseat. Alice pranced to the door with me stumbling behind her. She unlocked it and went inside. "Mom made juice," she announced as I closed the door behind me. Mrs. Brandon knew I loved her homemade apple juice. She always made it a point to have some made for when I was coming over.

"Can you get me some? I'll just go put my bag up in your room." I walked up the stairs to Alice's bedroom and she went to the kitchen to get the juice. I dumped my bag onto her bed and then ran down the steps, calling Alice's name. Running down turned out to be a really bad idea. Being the huge klutz that I am, I fell flat on my face. Luckily, it was on the last step, so no damage was caused.

Alice came out of the kitchen, took one look at me on the floor and burst out laughing. "God, Bella," she said, gasping for air. "Walk much?"

I glared at her and she immediately stopped laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she apologized. That was one of the things I loved about Alice. She never crossed the line when it came down to making fun of me.

I took the glass of juice from her. "So, what are we going to do? Smallville is on at 5, so there's still 20 minutes." Smallville was our latest craze. We never missed a single episode of it.

"Let's go online for a while." She suggested. We went to the study and went online in Alice's account. "No one's on," she said sadly. We decided to watch YouTube video's for a while. We were in the middle of watching Potter Puppet Pals, our favorite video on YouTube, when we noticed there was only 5 minutes left.

We raced to the sofas and flopped down on them. Alice switched on the TV just in time for the beginning of the episode. This episode was the one where the cheerleaders spike the footballer's drink with their 'love molecule'.

"Wow, look at Clark," Alice said dreamily at one point.

"You have a boyfriend Alice," I pointed out.

"I know." She replied. "But there's no harm in checking out other guys."

"Poor Jasper," I mocked. She threw a pillow at me. I held up the one closest to me in defense when she threw it again. Then I launched my pillow at her. Laughing, we picked up all the pillows again and set them properly so that Mrs. Brandon wouldn't get mad at us.

"I'm home, girls!" Mrs. Brandon called just as we finished setting the pillows properly. "What do you want for dinner?"

We followed her into the kitchen where we decided on lasagna. "It'll be ready soon," she told us, smiling warmly. "I'll call you."

We went up to Alice's bedroom. We put in one of her CD's and let the music blare out while we just listened to it. Soon enough, Alice's mom was knocking on the door. We went downstairs to the kitchen where Mr. Brandon was already setting the table. "Hello Alice, Bella." He greeted.

Alice smiled enthusiastically. "Hey dad!"

"Hi Mr. Brandon," I said, sitting down next to Alice. We finished eating dinner and decided to watch a movie for a while. We decided on Psycho. Even though it was a horror movie, we loved it. I almost fell asleep on the couch. We had had a long day at school, and I was exhausted.

Alice shook me awake when the movie was over. "Bella," she said in my ear. "Bella!"

I opened my eyes, startled. "Huh?" I asked, disorientated.

She rolled her eyes. "Bella, the movies over. You fell asleep. Now come on, let's go upstairs." She grabbed my hand and tried pulling me off the sofa with no success since she was so tiny.

I got up anyway, and staggered upstairs. I collapsed onto the left side of her queen-sized bed and was asleep in seconds.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" Alice's voice was bright and chirpy. She opened the curtains, the sunlight hitting my face. I groaned and rolled over. "Wake up, Bella! It's already noon!"

That got me up. I was supposed to be home at 11. Charlie would definitely kill me. "What?" I asked, now fully awake.

She laughed. "I'm just kidding. It's only 8."

I glared at her, and then sighed. "I may as well get up now," I muttered. I went to her bathroom, splashed water on my face and brushed my teeth. Alice passed me my clothes from outside. "Thanks!" I called, slamming the door shut.

I ate breakfast with Alice. "Should I drop you at home?" She asked when we were outside near her car.

"Actually, can you drop me at Edward's?" I asked, getting into the passenger seat without waiting for an answer.

She obliged by driving down to Edward's house. Edward was my best friend, even closer to me than Alice. He was there for me whenever I needed him, and I was there for him. We had been friends since elementary school.

"See you tomorrow!" I waved and shut the door. I went up to Edward's porch and knocked on the door. He opened it. "Hey, Edward!" I said.

"Hi, Bella." He opened the door further for me to go in. I went straight to his bedroom.

"What are you doing?" I asked, perching myself on the edge of his bed.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Nothing, just trying to finish my Biology project."

I spotted some notes on his desk. "Oh, that project? I finished that ages ago."

"Of course you did," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well then," I said, standing up. "I'll leave you to finish it. Bye!" I let myself out and walked home. Edward only lived two streets away from me, so it wasn't too far of a walk.

Reaching home, I went upstairs and chose to read one of my favorite books, Sense and Sensibility for a while. It was sunny outside in Forks, which was a rare occurrence. I spread out a blanket and settled down on it, trying to concentrate on the book, rather than the pleasant feeling of the sun beating down on my face. Soon, I felt myself succumbing to the warmth, and I drifted to sleep.

The next day, I was waiting outside my house for Alice to come pick me up while trying to solve a particularly difficult trigonometry problem I hadn't gotten yesterday. After I woke up, I had added some finishing touches to my Biology projects and then tried to do my Trig homework with not much success.

Alice pulled up outside my house. "Hop in," she yelled. I got inside beside her.

"Hey," I said. "Did you get the Trig homework?"

"Err, yeah, most of it."

"Okay… 'Cause I didn't get anything. Mr. Varner is going to be so mad."

"Who cares?"

I rolled my eyes. We had reached the school now. We got out of the car and joined our group near the school's entrance. In our group were Alice, Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and me. Alice and Jasper were going out, and Rosalie had a crush on Edward which he seemed oblivious to. Rosalie hated me for some reason, which Alice said was because she was jealous of me. I couldn't believe that, since Rosalie was really beautiful, and I was really plain.

"Hey, Bella." Edward said, smiling at me.

"Hey," I replied, greeting him, as well as the others. Rosalie glared at me, but then smiled warmly at Alice.

"Did you finish your project?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Finally." The bell rang, signaling it was time to go to classes. I walked with Jasper, since he was in my first period English class.

"See you all later!" I called, as we walked away.

**Please, review and tell me how it was. I wan't to make sure people are reading it so I can continue. This first chapter was just sort of an introduction to Bella's life. The drama will start in the next couple of chapters probably.**

**Review!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know, I didn't update in like, forever!! I don't know how soon I'm going to be able to update again- I'm going to my uncles house for vacation, but I'll try to work on my stories. Anyway, the beginning of this chapter is just a little insight on what the others are thinking... Enjoy!**

APOV

I watched as Edward invited Bella over to his house for a movie. Bella accepted, of course. Edward was her best friend. They didn't seem to realize it, but they made the perfect couple. They always knew how each other felt, and were perfectly content just being off by themselves.

I had asked Bella a couple of times about them, but Bella always just waved me off saying they were just friends. Everyone thought they were going out, but they were unaware of it. If any third person looked at their relationship, the way they acted with each other, it would seem like they were a couple made in heaven. They just needed to realize it themselves.

RPOV

I pouted as I saw Bella and Edward talking animatedly in the corner of the table. I just didn't understand their relationship! Everyone told me they weren't going out, but Edward never even glanced at any girl other than Bella. I didn't get why he wasn't attracted to me- I could get any guy I wanted, but I wanted Edward, and he wasn't even a little bit interested in me. I knew I was beautiful; I had long blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. And I wasn't some type of dumb blonde; I came second every year in my class- second to Edward. I had to find some way to attract Edward.

EmPOV

Bella was so cute. She acted like I was just a friend to her though- just like how Jasper or Alice were. I wanted to be more, but she never looked past Edward. I really wanted her to see me for how I was- smart, good looking, and humorous. Of course, she did like me- as a friend, as she had told me before. But I couldn't bring myself to forget my feelings for her just because she didn't like me that was. I would try, somehow.

BPOV

"Bella, I'm having a party next weekend!" Alice announced as she and Rosalie sat down next to me in the cafeteria for lunch. We were soon joined by Jasper and Edward, and later, Emmett.

"Cool, Alice. Who are you inviting?" I asked, taking a bite of my cheese pizza.

"Oh, just a few people who we know," she replied, waving her hand dismissively. "We can go shopping this weekend for dresses."

I glared at her, but she just grinned back. "Bella," Edward said, interrupting us. I tore my gaze away from Alice to look at him.

"What, Edward?" I asked.

"Want to come over and watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure. What are we watching?"

"Your choice," he replied, grinning. "But then I have to approve it."

"Well, then I choose-"

I was cut off. "Let me guess…" Edward pretended to ponder for a minute. "Romeo and Juliet?"

I fake pouted at him, but then laughed. Romeo and Juliet was my favorite movie, and luckily for me, Edward never got tired of watching it with me, even though he didn't particularly like the movie that much.

"Yup, of course." I replied. "Thanks for watching it with me _again_."

"Who said I approved?" He contradicted, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Who said you didn't?" I replied, still playfully.

He laughed. "Well, we'll settle this later. Now, we have to get to Biology, otherwise we'll be late."

"Yeah, yeah…" I mumbled, picking up my tray and going to deposit it. Edward followed me, and then we walked together to Bio. It was the one class we had together. Mr. Banner wasn't there when we took our places.

A few minutes later, he strolled in, telling the class to settle down as he did so. He gave us a lecture on mitosis of onion root, and I took notes, waiting for the bell to ring. Not that I was very eager to go to my next class, seeing as I had gym, but still.

Gym passed by quickly, seeing as Coach Clapp just explained the rules of badminton, instead of us playing. When the bell rang signaling school was over, I walked to the parking lot and towards Alice's car.

"Hop in," she said, beaming up at me from the driver's seat. I slid in next to her and she dropped me off at home. I changed into sweats and a comfy t-shirt quickly, and then went back downstairs and climbed into my '53 Chevy. It roared to life with a deafening sound as I backed out of my driveway and made my way to Edward's house.

I parked in the driveway behind his silver Volvo and walked up to his door, and rang the doorbell. His mom, Esme, opened it. "Hello, Bella," she said warmly. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I replied, smiling at her. "Is Edward home?"

"Yes, he's upstairs in his room," she replied. I started to go up the stairs after she disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hey, Edward," I called entering his room and sitting on his bed. He made a non-committal noise from where he was seated at his desk without turning back to look at me. "Um…" I started. "Are you working on something?" I asked. "If you want, we can do this later."

"No, it's fine." He replied, spinning around in his revolving chair with a smile. "I can finish this later. It's just some assignment due by the end of this term."

"You still have a week, then." I told him.

"Exactly. That's why I'll do it later."

"'Kay," I said, shrugging. "Let's go watch Romeo and Juliet, then!" I said enthusiastically. He pretended to groan, but I got up anyway and tried to drag him by his hand downstairs. Of course, I couldn't.

He let go of my hand and bounded downstairs to put the movie in, while I followed behind, careful not to miss my step anywhere. I sat down on the couch next to Edward while he fast forwarded through all the opening credits. As the movie started I made myself cozy, leaning against one of the many pillows on the couch. A while later Edward got up to get some popcorn. He could never sit still when we watched this movie; but I never ate the popcorn that he popped during Romeo and Juliet- I was too wrapped up in the movie.

The movie ended with me wiping away my tears. It was already around 6, so I decided it was time to go home. Mom and Dad would be waiting for me. I said a quick goodbye to Esme and Edward and then drove home, said hi to my parents, and started my homework. I ate dinner, finished up the homework and then went to sleep.

That weekend Alice dragged me to the mall to get a dress for her party. She had decided that she wanted the party to be semi-formal, so we were looking for 'casual, yet pretty dresses,' as she put it. We blasted The Red Hot Chili Pepper's CD on the way to the mall, singing along to every song.

When we reached the mall, I followed Alice as she excitedly made her way to a store I had never been to in my life. It was especially for dresses, formal, club, semi-formal, spring dresses, any type of dress. She went directly to the section that was labeled 'Semi-Formal' with easy familiarity. Obviously she had been here before.

"Alice," I began as she started going through the clothes. "I don't think I'll need a dress for the party. I can just come in jeans or something. Anyway, no one is going to dress up."

"What do you mean; no one is going to dress up?" She asked, looking away from the clothes with narrowed eyes. "Of course they'll dress up!"

"But," I said, trying again. "I don't look good in a dress."

"Yes you do Bella," She replied. "Everyone is going to be stunned when they look at you, I can guarantee that."

"Right," I muttered sarcastically under my breath, rolling my eyes.

"Now," she commanded. "Go try these on." She handed me 5 dresses, as was the clothes limit in the changing rooms. "I'll be there in a sec."

I took the dresses and went to a free changing room. I quickly shed my jeans and t-shirt and tried on the first dress. It was pink with a lot of frills. I took one look at it and immediately threw it over the door. "No thanks, Alice!" I called out.

She laughed. "I didn't think you would like it."

I tried on the next dress. It was a spaghetti strapped apple green that reached my knees with a bow beneath the bust. I liked it right away, so I put it aside and tried on the next one. It was black, really tight and a bit too revealing for me. I took it off and changed back into the green dress. I went outside and twirled around for Alice to see.

"How is it?" I asked.

Her eyes brightened. "It's awesome Bella, you have to get it!"

I laughed. "I will. Did you find your dress?"

"Yup," she replied, holding it up for me to see. It was black and white, with designs on it.

"It's pretty," I complimented.

"Thanks," she replied beaming. "Let's go pay for this and then pick up the shoes and jewelry to match it."

"Okay," I agreed. We paid for our dresses and then went looking for shoes. I found the perfect silver flats to match my dress while Alice picked up black heels. I got matching silver jewelry as well, and Alice got black.

Exhausted, I loaded the bags into Alice's trunk. We drove home, this time not really paying attention to the music. When I got home I dumped my bags onto the floor-which Alice would have hated, if she had been there- and then collapsed onto my bed, closing my eyes and succumbing to my tiredness.

**I'm putting the pictures on their dresses on my profile- hopefully it will work- so go check them out!**

**Review!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry its been forever since I updated!! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!**

The days passed by and suddenly it was Friday. All through the day, Alice kept chattering about her plans for the party and about how excited she was. All I had to do was nod and said "mm-hmm," wherever it was necessary.

After school we stopped by at my house to pick up my dress and shoes. Charlie already knew about the party, but I still left a note, telling him that I'd be staying over at Alice's house for the night. Mom was out of town for the weekend, so Charlie would be left to manage dinner for himself. I packed a bag quickly, with my night clothes and toothbrush.

I sat down in Alice's car, and we got to her house in 5 minutes. After eating a quick snack, we went upstairs to Alice's room. She handed me a towel. "Have a shower," she said, and then settled down on the bed with a magazine. I took a quick shower, washing my hair. I changed into an old t-shirt and sweats that I had left at Alice's house once.

When I was done we exchanged places. She went to the bathroom to have a shower while I read Wuthering Heights as I waited for her to come out. She was finished quickly, and soon I was sitting on a chair in front of a mirror. She blow-dried my hair till it was straight and then started curling it, so that when she was done, my hair cascaded down my back in gentle curls.

Then Alice clipped my hair back and started on my makeup. I had been through this so many times; I didn't even bother to complain. She applied a thin layer of foundation first, and then light green eye shadow so that it was just visible. After that she put eyeliner and mascara, and then finished it off with a light layer of shimmering lip gloss.

In the end, I looked pretty. I never failed to be amazed at Alice's work. She turned me from someone who looked plain to someone who looked pretty.

I went to the bathroom and slid my dress over my head, careful not to mess up the hair or the makeup. I admired myself in the mirror for a couple of seconds, and then went back outside. Alice had already finished her makeup and was waiting for the bathroom. She changed into her dress too, and looked stunning, as usual.

We put on our jewelry and I slipped on my silver flats. Then, smiling at each other we went downstairs to await our first guest.

The doorbell rang as soon as we finished laying out the drinks and Alice skipped to open it. It was Jasper and Edward.

Alice groaned. "You guys are always the first ones here," she pouted.

Edward walked past her towards me. "You look good, Bella," he complimented, his eyes appraising as they raked over me.

"Thanks," I said. "You do too."

Edward was wearing dark jeans and a plain white button up shirt. Alice joined in. "These are the jeans I got you, right?" She asked. "So that your wardrobe would have _some_ improvement?"

He nodded. "Well," Alice continued. "They look good on you."

The doorbell rang again. This time it was Emmett. "You look pretty," he told me when he came inside.

"Um, thanks," I replied. More people started coming. Rosalie came alone, looking stunning in a deep purple knee length dress.

I sat in a corner with my friend Angela and her boyfriend Ben. We were laughing at some of the couples dancing, who didn't look like they knew how to dance at all.

Edward was dancing with Alice and Jasper with Rosalie. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Emmett approaching me.

"Emmett!" I said happily. "Why don't you join us?"

Emmett said down and looked like he was trying to say something. "Bella," he said, smiling up at me. "Let's dance."

I bit my lip. "Emmett, you know I can't dance. Sorry."

He smiled again, but I could tell that he was a little hurt. He got up without saying anything and went back to where he was sitting before, dejected.

The song ended, and Rosalie broke away from Jasper, walking up to Edward who was coming in this direction.

"Want to dance, Edward?" She asked.

"What? Oh yeah, one second," he replied, but then walked over to me and sat down. "Ok, Bella, enough. Time to go dance."

"Um, Edward? Breaking news- I can't dance." I replied.

"Don't be silly." He got up and pulled me by the hand to the dance floor. We danced together for one song, and then we went and sat down in the corner. We were talking about school when I noticed Emmett and Rosalie sitting together at the drinks counter. There were no alcoholic drinks of course, only mocktails and soft drinks.

"Edward," I said, tapping his arm lightly. "Look over there." I pointed at them.

EmPOV

I sat down at the drinks counter and said to the man behind it. "1 Coke. On the rocks." My face was quite serious, but I could see the man threatening to burst out laughing. I looked away from him.

I was hurt. Bella had rejected me, only to go dance with Edward after that. I downed my coke in one gulp and took a refill. Then I saw someone sit next to me.

"What's wrong, Emmett?" Rosalie asked kindly. Rosalie had always been nice to me.

"Sometimes I wish… That there was someone special for me in the world. Who has eyes only for me, and for whom I would give the whole world to. Like Edward and Bella," I sighed, gesturing to where they sat, wrapped up in their own world.

"Me too," She replied softly. I looked at her. Her eyes were filled with some emotion I couldn't understand, but whatever it was, it drew me closer to her. I leaned down and touched my lips to hers.

BPOV

I stared wide eyed at the scene in front of me. Emmett was kissing Rosalie. I could practically feel the shock radiating off Edward beside me. We were joined by Alice and Jasper who were equally surprised to see Emmett and Rosalie together.

"I can't believe this," Jasper said.

"I can," Alice cried out. "They make such a perfect couple!" She walked over to them and broke up their kiss, congratulating Rosalie and then Emmett.

I raised an eyebrow at Edward who shrugged in response. Together, we went to talk to Emmett and Rosalie.

After I congratulated them, which Rosalie thankfully accepted with a smile, I went outside to sit on Alice's balcony. I was soon joined by Edward, and then the rest of the group.

"Oh, by the way, Bella," Rosalie started. I braced myself for whatever insult she was going to hurl at me. "You look really pretty tonight."

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I was shocked. "Th-thanks Rosalie," I smiled back.

"You can call me Rose," she grinned in return.

I smiled inwardly. Looks like Rosalie was starting to warm up to me.

**Okay, so I'm sure you weren't expecting that twist in the story. Anyway, review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know. I'm bad... I haven't update this story for so long. The thing is, I'm maintaining an order: First Finding True Love, then this, then We'll Face It Together.**

**Anyway, thanks for the awesome reviews. I dont think this chapter is very good, but I wanted to update.**

_The best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting  
Could it be that we have been this way before  
I know you don't think that I am trying  
I know you're wearing thin down to the core_

But hold your breathe  
Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you  
Over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
You're impossible to find

We thought Emmett was going to end there. He stopped to take a breath Alice started clapping wearily. We were all sitting on Alice's balcony, after the party. Then he continued to sing while all of us, Rosalie included, winced.

_This is not what I intended  
I always swore to you I'd never fall apart  
You always thought that I was stronger  
I may have failed but I have loved you from the start_

Oh, But hold your breathe  
Because tonight will be the night  
That I will fall for you  
Over again  
Don't make me change my mind  
Or I won't live to see another day  
I swear it's true  
Because a girl like you is impossible to find  
It's impossible

We all started clapping before Emmett could start the bridge of the song. He looked surprised, probably because he was intending to sing the song fully.

Rosalie, for whom he was singing for, wiped the tears from her eyes and gave him a hug while Alice and I exchanged a glance and "awed".

"Why did you stop me?" Emmett asked. "I would have finished the song."

"Well someone had to stop you before our eardrums broke." Jasper said with a perfectly straight face.

Emmett narrowed his eyes. "Well what song would you sing for Alice?" he challenged. Alice also looked at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Jasper got down on his knees in front of Alice, and started singing.

_There's a song that's inside of my soul  
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again  
I'm awake in the infinite cold  
But you sing to me over and over again_

So I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands  
and pray to be only yours  
I pray to be only yours  
I know now you're my only hope

Sing to me the song of the stars  
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing  
and laughing again  
When it feels like my dreams are so far  
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again

And I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands and pray  
To be only yours  
I pray to be only yours  
I know now you're my only hope

I give you my empathy  
I'm giving you all of me  
I want your symphony  
Singing in all that I am  
At the top of my lungs

_I'm giving it back_

_So I lay my head back down  
And I lift my hands  
and pray to be only yours  
I pray to be only yours  
I know now you're my only hope_

Alice stood shocked for a minute before attacking him with kisses. They stood up, laughing.

"What song will you sing when you fall in love, Edward?" Rose asked him.

"That," he replied, leaning back into his chair. "Is a secret."

"Oh come one Edward," I said. "Can't you tell us?"

"Fine." He sighed. He sat straight in his chair and looked around at us.

_Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart  
It's the end of the world in my mind  
Then your voice pulls me back like a wake up call  
I've been looking for the answer  
Somewhere  
I couldn't see that it was right there  
But now I know what I didn't know_

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

It's alright, I survived, I'm alive again  
Cuz of you, made it through every storm  
What is life, what's the use if you're killing time  
I'm so glad I found an angel  
Someone  
Who was there when all my hopes fell  
I wanna fly, looking in your eyes

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky  
Because you live, I live

Because you live there's a reason why  
I carry on when I lose the fight  
I want to give what you've given me always

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has twice as many stars in the sky

Because you live and breathe  
Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help  
Because you live, girl  
My world has everything I need to survive

Because you live, I live, I live

"Wow," I said. Edward had a great voice. It was melodious and sounded like velvet.

"That isn't such a huge secret," Alice said.

"Yes, but I was planning on singing that for my special girl." He replied. Then he glanced at his watch. "Okay, it's late, I need to go. Do you need a ride Bella?"

"No thanks," I replied, smiling up at him. "I'm staying over."

"Okay," he said. "Are you coming over tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Okay, bye guys."

He, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper left. Alice and I were really tired, so we fell asleep as soon as we hit the bed.

The next day I was at Edward's house by 11. We were sitting on the floor of his living room and playing monopoly, which was although a childish game, one that we loved to play, when Esme and Carlisle walked in.

They waved at us, and we waved back, which was usual, but then they sat down. That was unusual. Edward switched off Linkin Park which was blaring from the sound system.

"What happened?" Edward asked his parents, frowning at them.

"Well, we actually wanted to speak with you about something," Esme replied. She exchanged a glance with Carlisle who gave her an encouraging nod. "We don't want to discourage your friendship or anything, but we just wanted to know… Are you both going out?"

I glanced at Edward, shocked. His expression mirrored mine. "Going out?" I choked out. "What gave you that impression?"

"Well both of you are always together, in your own world." Carlisle said.

"Well we're not going out," Edward confirmed. "We're best friends."

"Okay, but don't you think your future girlfriend, or in your case Bella, future boyfriend, will have a problem with your friendship?" Esme asked. "You both are so close that your friends, parents, everyone think your going out. Don't you think that could ruin your future relationships?"

We looked at each other again. "Don't be disheartened by this," Carlisle added quickly. "You both will always be best friends, no matter what."

They left us in silence, both of us staring at each other. We had never thought in that direction. Truthfully, I had never thought of having a relationship. I never thought of any boys, other than Edward, Jasper and Emmett, and they were just my friends.

"What do we do know?" Edward asked quietly. "I don't want to ruin your chances of having a boyfriend."

"And I don't want to ruin your chance of having a girlfriend," I said.

"Let's ask the gang," he decided. We called them, and decided to meet at Alice's house again.

Once everyone was there, we explained the problem to them. They sat in silence for a few minutes. "

"That's… You're stuck in a bad situation, man." Emmett said, slapping Edward on his back.

He shrugged him off. "I know."

"I have an idea!" Jasper exclaimed, sitting up.

"What?" I asked, brightening instantly.

"Look, if you found a girl for Edward, and he found a boy for you, then what problem would they have with your friendship?"

I bit my lip, thinking of the possibility. Then I grinned, along with everyone else.

"Jasper," she kissed him. "You're a genius." He turned a little red.

"That means…" Alice said. "We're going to a club tonight!"

**Songs used:**

**Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade**

**Only Hope by Switchfoot (Not by Mandy Moore. The original is by Switchfoot. Listen to it. It's good.)**

**Because You Live by Jesse McCartney**

**BTW, what happens in this chapter foreshawdows what will happen later. It's quite obvious.**

**If I dont update for a long time, its because I have exams till the 31st. And then I'll be happy that its over, and hanging out with friends, and neglecting my stories. But I'll try to update soon.**

**Oh yeah, in this story, all of them are seniors. Just letting you know.**

**REVIEW!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm really sorry... I probably lost lots of readers just because I couldnt update. It's been two months!**

**Well I hope I'll be able to update sooner from now on, now that finals are done, and I wont have to worry too much about school for the next 3 months. I do have a month of school, still, and then summer vacation, but my school's just weird that way.**

**This chapter is just a filler. The next one will probably be one as well, but I promise to get the drama started soon!**

**Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

I was sitting in Alice's bedroom, in front of her mirror, which I had officially christened as my personal torture corner. She was pulling at my hair, curling the ends of it, so that my hair, which normally reached my hips, hung somewhere at my lower back. She finished tugging and examined it for a minute during which I took the time to scratch my back. I had kept complaining that it was itchy, and had even burnt my finger from the curling iron while trying to scratch myself.

After she deemed my hair as acceptable, she moved on to smother my face with various make up items. I didn't protest as she put eye shadow, blush, mascara and other stuff as I was used to it now. I had learned that complaining only made her take more time; it also put her in a bad mood which caused her to make more mistakes.

Just as Alice was adding the finishing touches, Rosalie stepped out of the bathroom looking gorgeous. I gaped. "Wow Rose. Emmett's going to go wild."

"Thanks," she said, smiling at me. "You look really pretty too."

I smiled back at her. "Okay!" Alice cried, clapping her hands together. "Now that both of you are all pretty, let me go get ready! I'll be out in 5 minutes, 10 max."

"Quick, Alice," Rosalie huffed impatiently. "The guys should be here to pick us up any minute. And you know they hate it when people are late."

"I'm sure Jasper will understand," Alice called from the bathroom. "After all, it's kind of for him that I'm taking so much effort to get ready, isn't it?"

The bell rang downstairs. "See, they're here!" Rosalie told Alice while she started to heave herself off the couch.

"It's okay, I'll get it," I told her. I was already on my feet. I went downstairs and pulled open the door to let the guys in.

"You look awesome!" Emmett said. "You're going to knock 'em dead tonight, you mark my words."

"Sure, Emmett. Alice is still getting ready, so you're going to have to wait."

They sat in the living room while I went back upstairs to grab my purse. Alice was ready; she was picking out a sweater to match her dress.

The three of us trooped back downstairs together, and Jasper and Emmett at once greeted Alice and Rosalie with signs of affection. Edward and I glanced at each other awkwardly; at least before it was only Alice and Jasper, now Emmett and Rosalie were going out too.

We finally left the house, the six of us piling into Emmett's Jeep Wrangler. Once we reached the dingy club Emmett took us too, we were let in, and we found a comfortable corner for all of us to sit. The dance floor was still relatively empty; people were still to come.

Jasper left and returned with 6 mocktails. "Aww," complained Emmett. "I'm sure they would have given you alcohol if you asked. This looks like that kind of place."

"We're underage," hissed Rosalie. "And plus, you're the one driving us home. Do you think I want to end up lying in some ditch, covered in dirt because you were stupid enough to drink and drive?"

"Jasper will drive us home," He said confidently. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe not," Emmett mended hastily.

Alice was looking around the club with a look on her face as though she had just swallowed something really disgusting. "Where have you brought us, Emmett?"

"Oh this?" He asked, looking around. "My uncle's friend recommended it. Said that although it's… _unappealing_ at first, the music and drinks are quite good. Of course, this is coming from a 50 year old man who thinks Michael Jackson is the greatest musical sensation ever."

"Right." She said, disbelievingly. She didn't pursue the subject and Rosalie changed the topic.

"So see any guy you like yet, Bella?" She asked.

I raised my eyebrows at her and snorted. "Take a good look at the guys, Rose. I don't think I would want to go out with a 40 year old balding man." None of the guys in the club looked under 20.

"Okay, maybe it was a mistake to come to this club," Emmett admitted. "But now that we're here, let's enjoy ourselves!"

"I'm going to ask someone to change the music," Alice said, drifting off in the direction of the bar.

"What about you, Edward?" I asked him. No one else was really listening; Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had started some other conversation.

"Hmm?" He asked, looking up from his phone.

"See anyone you like?"

He glanced around the bar, his eyes darting from one place to another. "Nope. I'm not interested in middle aged women, any more than you are in middle aged men."

Suddenly the music changed to Rihanna's Please Don't Stop The Music, and I knew that Alice had convinced whoever was in charge of the music to allow her to choose a song.

She walked out from behind the bar and started dancing on the empty dance floor. She beckoned to us, and Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper got up to join her.

"Come on," Edward said, standing up and holding out a hand for me.

"Do you seriously need me to repeat the same thing everyday? I can't dance!"

"You danced yesterday," he countered, smirking.

"One day," I replied. "And plus, its not like that was a really successful attempt. I think I stepped on your toes only- let's see- about 15 times?"

"It doesn't matter." He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor. I tried to pull away from him, but it was no use. Once we were on the dance floor, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice all surrounded me, making it impossible for me to escape.

Rose smirked at me as I accepted defeat and started to dance with them. Everyone in the bar looked stunned- it was like this was the first time people were even dancing here.

Slowly, more people joined us on the dance floor. I managed to break away from my friends and head back to where we had been sitting. I sipped my mocktail absentmindedly, watching everyone on the dance floor.

"Hey." A guy, who looked to be about 20, was leaning casually against the wall beside me and watching me. He was smiling, but there was something creepy about it. It was more like a leer. His brown hair was cropped short, and he was wearing torn jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket over it.

I nodded politely, and then turned my attention back to the floor.

"And what is a pretty girl like you doing, sitting here all alone?" He sat down next to me and looked at me intently.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I shifted to the other side a bit. "I don't believe that's any of your business," I said coldly.

"I would like it to be my business," He replied smoothly. I looked at the dance floor carefully and was relieved to see Alice and Edward making their way towards me.

"Hey, Bella, we're going to…" She trailed off when she saw the guy sitting next to me. She raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go," I said quickly. I got up and tried to edge around the table, but the guy caught my hand before I could leave.

"C'mon, don't go!" He pleaded. I hadn't realised it before, but now it was evident- the guy was drunk.

I tried to shake his hand off, but he held on tighter. Then another hand closed upon mine, and pulled mine out of the guy's grasp. Edward was holding my hand, glaring at the drunken guy next to me.

"Leave her alone," he said menacingly, before dragging me away with him. Alice followed us hurriedly, keeping up a stream about how horrible and 'evil' that guy looked.

We made it back to the Jeep without any more trouble, where Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were waiting for us. Edward hoisted Alice and I into the back, and then climbed in.

I yawned, realising how tired I was. "Can I crash at your house Alice? Charlie went somewhere this morning."

She nodded, and leaned against Jasper's shoulder. A couple of seconds later, she was asleep.

Emmett braked to a stop. "Okay! First stop: Edward's house! No get out of my car, quick, Edward, 'cause I still have to drop the others off and then get home. I think I'll fall asleep any second now."

"Then how is it safe for you to drive?" He shot back, bidding everyone goodbye. I lifted my hand half-heartedly into a wave, too tired to do anything else.

Emmett took off again, and moments later, was in front of Rosalie's house. "Bye Rosie," he said sweetly, and kissed her.

I closed my eyes for a minute. When I opened them again, it was dark, and I seemed to be rocking back and forth, almost as though someone was carrying me. Looking up, I saw Emmett, easily holding me in his arms as he walked up the path to Alice's house. I saw Jasper beside him, holding Alice in his arms.

"Oh, you're awake!" Emmett noticed. "I didn't really want to wake you up so we decided to just carry you in."

"The key is in Alice's pocket," I told Jasper who was waiting near the door. He fished the key out of her pocket, opened the door and led the way up to Alice's room. Both of them set us on the bed and I felt like I would go back to sleep in a second.

"Keep the key," I managed to get out. "Lock the door on your way out."

They nodded, said goodnight and went out of Alice's room. I was asleep in a second.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of someone groaning next to me. I opened one eye blearily to find Alice sitting up, looking at me.

"What time did we get home?" She asked, her voice raspy from sleeping.

I shrugged. "What time is it now?"

"Seven."

"We must have got very little sleep," I concluded. I sat up and stretched my arms out and then yawned.

"Well we may as well get up now, and decide what to do for the day… We could go shopping!" She suggested enthusiastically.

"Or we could hang out with the gang," I tried.

"Or we could hang out with the gang at the mall," She edited.

I sighed and threw up my hands exasperatedly. "Fine! But let's ask the others."

We took turns in the bathroom getting ready, picked up Rosalie and went over to Jasper's house where Emmett and Edward were.

"Alice wants to go to the mall," I announced, the minute we stepped into Jasper's bedroom.

All the guys groaned. Alice pouted and turned to the guys. "C'mon," she whined. "Please? For me?"

Jasper gave in first. "Fine, I'll come," he said with a sigh.

She brightened up instantly, and said, "Yes! We're going shopping!"

"Uh, no we're not, Alice," I said. "It's still 3 against 3. Emmett, Edward and I don't want to go."

15 minutes later, she had bribed Emmett into agreeing. All of us headed towards Emmett's Jeep, Edward whispering "Traitor" under his breath so that only I could hear.

"Okay, to the mall!" She exclaimed. Edward and I exchanged gloomy looks, and I knew, that today would _not _be fun.

**I think this may be the longest chapter in this story so far.**

**Anyway, review!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all the reviews!! I updated faster this time, you should thank me! JK! :)**

**I wrote a one shot, for SparklingTopazEyes's challenge- go check it out! It's called: At The Top Of The World.**

**Another thing- I dont know how many of you are reading my other story, We'll Face It Together, but I've been getting was less reviews for that than I normally do! So go review! **

"Remind me again why I put up with this?" I asked Alice, holding up the multiple shopping bags in my hands as we left one of the larger stores of the mall.

"Because I'm your best friend and you love me to death?" She asked innocently.

"Thank god for chivalry," Rose muttered as Edward, Emmett and Jasper came forward to relieve us from the bags in our hands.

"Are you done yet, Alice?" Edward asked impatiently.

"Of course not!" She exclaimed. "I've only just finished shopping for us girls, now I need to find presentable clothes for you guys! But you're boys, so it'll probably take less time," She tacked on at the end, in an attempt to mollify Edward.

It didn't help. "Yeah, shopping for 3 hours in a mall what I need is _more _shopping," he said sarcastically.

We entered another store, this time the boys following us. Alice asked their sizes, then sent them to the dressing room and started to pick out clothes for them.

As she gave it to them in piles, Emmett huffed, "I can pick out clothes for myself, Alice!" But he took the clothes anyway, and tried them on.

An hour later, Alice said that we had enough clothes for now, and that it was time to go home. Emmett nearly knocked down 3 kids and 2 adults from trying to get to the parking lot as fast as possible before Alice changed her mind and decided to look in another store.

"Are you sleeping over tonight?" Alice asked me on the way home.

I shook my head. "Charlie's back tonight. I don't think he'll want me to go for a sleepover a day before school."

Rosalie grimaced. "With all the excitement of trying to find someone for you and Edward I'd forgotten we have school tomorrow."

"Hey, Bella," Edward called from the passenger seat. "Do you like any of the guys from school? I bet I could convince them to go out with you if I tried, really, really hard." He smirked.

Before I could say anything, Rosalie intervened. "You wouldn't have to beg- just say Bella's name and all the guys will be drooling after her. For you on the other hand…"

I gave Rose a high five and Edward scowled.

Emmett dropped me off at home and I was surprised to see Charlie already there. "Hey, Ch- dad!" I said enthusiastically, spotting him lying on the couch and watching TV.

"Bella!" He grinned. I asked him how his trip was, and he asked how my party at Alice's was. I told him about Emmett and Rosalie. After a few minutes of awkward silence during which I could find nothing to say to him, I went upstairs to put away my new clothes. I changed into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt, and then went down to the kitchen to make dinner.

I decided on lasagna, and had just put it in the oven when Alice called. I talked to her until I realized the lasagna was burning. I hung up, and managed to salvage most of it. It was still edible, at least.

Charlie and I ate dinner in silence. After dinner I went upstairs and finished whatever homework I hadn't finished. After that was done, I was stuck with nothing to do. I decided on reading Wuthering Heights, my favorite book.

I read till 11 o'clock, but then I decided to go to sleep. I was exhausted from partying 2 nights in a row, and going shopping today.

The next morning when I woke up, I rolled over, glanced at the clock and let out a small shriek when I realized I had 20 minutes to make it school. I stumbled into the shower and was out, fully dressed a couple of minutes later. I did my hair and then gulfed down my cereal. Then I grabbed my jacket and truck keys and ran outside to the driveway. I opened the cab door, stuck the key in the engine, and turned it. Instead of roaring to life, I hear a small 'splut' before the engine died on me.

I got out of the cab cursing my bad luck and kicked the tire. Hopping on one foot and looking at the time, I decided that 5 minutes was simply not enough time to walk to school and that I would have to just skip today.

Just as I decided that and I was about to turn around to go inside, Edward's Volvo squealed to a stop in front of my house. I was too shocked for a minute to move, and Edward rolled down his window.

"Come on, Bella! We'll be late!"

I hurried to the car and slid into the passenger seat. The second the door was closed Edward slammed his foot on the accelerator. We were at school in a couple of minutes, and the last minute people were just making it in.

"How did you know?" I asked breathlessly as we ran inside.

"Alice realized you weren't at school," he explained. "She sent me to pick you up. I knew that old truck would die on you someday."

I shot a glare at him, but was unable to say anything because I reached the class at the exact same minute the teacher did.

"Now, now, Miss Swan, try to come earlier from now on. Off you go to your class Mr. Cullen."

I rushed into the classroom after throwing a grateful look in Edward's direction. I would have to get my truck fixed… That was one episode I did not want to repeat.

* * *

That week passed by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was the weekend again. On Friday night, Rose, Alice and I were in Rosalie's room, getting ready for what Alice called "Phase 2 of Finding Bella and Edward's soul mates."

We were going to a club Jasper had picked this time, not wanting to go by Emmett or his uncle's suggestions anymore. At least I had heard of this one- it was somewhere in Seattle.

Once we were ready, we drove to the club in Emmett's Jeep.

"I hope we have better luck this time," Edward said as we parked.

I nodded, silently agreeing. I was tired of hearing about the elaborate details of Rose's and Alice's love life, without having anything to contribute to the conversation.

We walked inside, instantly being greeted with loud music, hot, sweaty bodies moving against each other and a crowd of people just milling around, talking to each other.

We found a booth in the corner near the bar, and Rosalie and Jasper went to get the drinks. They brought non alcoholic drinks again, much to the disappointment of Emmett.

We had been sitting there for a while, just chatting, when two people locked in a struggle caught our eyes. After a second I recognized the guy was the one who had talked to me that night

He was forcing a gorgeous blonde girl against the wall. She was desperately fighting against him. Edward immediately got up, his eyes narrowing at the scene in front of him. Alice and Rose looked scared.

Edward went up to them and tried to pull the guy off of her. Immediately, another olive skinned came to his side and punched him in the face. Jasper and Emmett stood up, and went to help Edward.

"Stay away from James," the olive skinned man said.

The guy who must have been James smirked at Edward, and tried pulling the girl away. The girl glanced hopefully at Edward and her message was clear: help me.

With a look at Jasper and Emmett which plainly said not to intervene, Edward stepped forward.

"You knew," he said. I felt my brow crumple in confusion and Alice, Rose, Jasper, Emmett, James, the olive skinned man and the girl's expressions matched mine.

"You knew you had it," he continued. "But still, that night you…"

He took a deep breath and I could see he was acting. He was a good actor, but after knowing him for so long I could tell when he was acting and when he wasn't.

"What?" the girl asked. I didn't blame her- she must have been truly confused.

"I went to the hospital and got myself tested," He went on, ignoring the girl. "And it was positive. How could you? You knew, but still, that night you came on to me."

James and the other guy were watching Edward closely, trying to understand what he was saying.

"It's okay. I'll take you to the hospital. You can be treated," Edward said.

"Treated for what? What are you talking about?" The girl cried hysterically.

"I'm talking about your…disease. You have AIDS," he said calmly.

James let go of the girl like he had been shocked by an electric current.

"Ugh," he said, disgusted, and he and the other guy with him took off through the crowd.

Edward burst into laughter and I joined him, till everyone except the girl was laughing. She looked at us like we were a bunch of lunatics.

"Come on," he said, leading her back to our booth. "I'm Edward," he said. "Don't worry, that was just to drive those guys off."

She smiled and sat next to him. "I'm Tanya," she introduced herself.

"Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and Bella," Edward said, pointing at each of us in turn.

I smiled at her and she smiled back at each of us.

"That guy is so weird," she said, shuddering.

"I know," I agreed. "He tried hitting on me last week."

"That was the same guy?" Edward asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Didn't you recognize him?"

He didn't answer. "Looks like he has a thing for harassing pretty girls," he said, looking at Tanya. I got the feeling I wasn't really included in that.

"Yeah, no wonder he went for Bella," Emmett said, following a totally different train of thought.

Tanya sat with us for the rest of the evening. For some reason, this bothered me. It was always just the six of us- no one else ever hung out with us. If this bothered any of others they didn't show it. All of them seemed to like her- Alice and Rosalie made plans to go shopping with her tomorrow, but they didn't even bother to ask me if I wanted to come.

Emmett and Jasper started talking to her about football- it seemed she was an avid fan. I expected at least Edward to include me, but he just stared at Tanya the whole time like a lovesick puppy.

I got up abruptly. "Bathroom," I said, in answer to Alice's and Rosalie's questioning glances. I went into the ladies bathroom and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

What was wrong with me? Edward had finally found someone he liked- the whole point of this. I should be happy for him. He is after all, my best friend. And it's not like Rose and Alice are abandoning me, I told myself. They just found a new shopping buddy. And they knew I hated shopping- which is why maybe they didn't invite me. They knew I would have more fun at home, maybe hanging out with he guys.

Finally, deciding to be in a good mood, I went back to the booth, only to find it empty. I glanced around angrily and saw everyone on the dance floor, Alice pressed up against Jasper, Rosalie against Emmett and Tanya against… Edward.

My mood soured instantly and I slumped against the back of the booth. Half an hour later, all six of them turned up.

"Done already?" I asked sarcastically. "Why don't you do dance some more while I wait here?"

Rose raised her eyebrows and Alice frowned, but thankfully neither of them said anything. After a minute of awkward silence, Emmett asked, "Well, should we leave then?"

Everyone agreed and we left. I ignored Edward's offer to help me up and went to Jasper instead. I sat inside, waiting as everyone said goodbye to Tanya. Edward stared at me for a moment, his eyebrows drawn together, and then Tanya called his attention back to her.

Alice climbed in and sat next to me. "What is wrong with you?" She hissed.

I ignored her, and she rolled her eyes and snuggled against Jasper. Emmett drove us home in silence, dropping me off home first.

"Goodnight," I said brusquely, stalking up the path to my house. I heard the engine behind me and Emmett pulled away. I was pretty sure they would talk about me on the way to the next person's house, and as I opened the door, I suddenly regretted my behavior.

I sighed. When I was thinking, I wanted to behave one way, and when it was actually happening I behaved totally different. I knew Rose and Alice were going to want to talk to me tomorrow, but then I remembered that they were going shopping with Tanya.

I got into bed and pulled the covers over me, hoping I would get to sleep.

* * *

"Hi, can I talk to Edward, please?" I asked the next day when Esme picked up the phone.

"Sure, Bella, one minute." I heard her calling Edward.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey, Edward. It's me, Bella," I added unnecessarily. He always recognized my voice.

"I know," he said harshly.

I paused. It seemed Edward was angry at me for yesterday. "Is this a bad time?" I asked.

"No, go on."

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to hang out today? Alice and Rose are going shopping, so I thought maybe you, me, Jasper and Emmett could-"

"Sorry Bella," he said, cutting me off. "I'm hanging out with Tanya today."

"But she's going shopping with Alice and Rosalie!"

"And I'm going with them," he said.

"Oh… Okay. Um. Have fun. Bye." My voice broke on the last word and I slammed the phone down. The least he could do was invite his best friend to go with him! It's not like they're going on a date- Alice and Rosalie will be with them.

I pushed Edward out of my mind and picked up the phone. I dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jasper," I said miserably. "Want to hang out?"

**Hehe, the drama has started! **

**REVIEW!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! I finished writing this chapter a few days ago, but I couldn't update it beacue my stupid internet wasn't working...**

**Just wanted to let you guys know I won SparklingTopazEyes' Alice/Jasper competition! Go read my story... It's called At The Top Of The World.**

**Also, I entered a couple of other challenges.... My entries are I Walked Away and Awakening... Go check them out and review, please!**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

I spent the day with Jasper and Emmett. They decided to try and teach me tackle football. The good thing about them was that they weren't worried about hurting me, or doing something by which I might get hurt, like how Edward or Alice or Rosalie would be.

So at the end of the day I ended up in the hospital with a minor concussion and a broken wrist, but pretty good football skills. Jasper and Emmett were sitting on either side of me, having already alerted my father, Edward, Alice and Rose about what happened. Turns out the three of them had returned from their shopping trip, wondering where we three had disappeared to. They were on their way to the hospital right now.

I wasn't exactly in the mood to see them. I was still sour about yesterday, and I didn't really want to push them any further away from me. I had confided in Jasper and Emmett today, confident that they wouldn't let slip my feelings. Apparently they felt the same way- as Emmett put it; Tanya was "invading" in our group.

Emmett and Jasper were also slightly angry at Edward, Alice and Rose when they heard my side of the story. When they arrived, all three of us were sulky.

Emmett went to talk to Rosalie alone and Jasper went to talk to Alice.

"Bella," Edward said exasperatedly. "For the last time, would you please tell me what is wrong?"

I ignored him. "How was your day?"

He smiled. "It was wonderful," he beamed. "Tanya is amazing."

I was happy that he was happy- but I didn't like the reason he was so happy.

"Did you sing your song?" I asked.

"My song?" He asked, a blank look on his face. "Oh, _that. _No way. If I started singing that in the middle of the mall, she would run away, screaming."

"So what did you do?"

"Well I just followed them around mostly, but in between Tanya and I snuck away."

I frowned. That happened on every shopping trip the six of us went on. Edward and I used to sneak away from the others. So now he was doing that with Tanya?

We talked for a while longer, and then I was released from the hospital. I went home, made dinner for Charlie and went to bed early, claiming that I was tired from playing football all day.

I wanted to be happy for Edward. I really did. But I couldn't help thinking that now he would he spending much more time with Tanya, and much less with me.

The next day at school all Edward, Rose and Alice could talk about was Tanya. Emmett, Jasper and I, fed up, ignored them and started up a different conversation. We made plans to continue the tackle football training session as soon as my wrist was fully healed. When Edward heard of my plans, he frowned, but didn't say anything.

Alice and Rosalie were making plans to go on a picnic with all of us and Tanya. Edward said he would call her later and ask, and the next day he told us that she had agreed.

Unfortunately, that weekend it rained, putting a stop to our plans. We were all at Rosalie's house, and then Tanya came over as well.

I tried to be as friendly as I could to her, and I succeeded, because Alice, Rose and Edward looked surprised, and Emmett and Jasper impressed at my friendliness. They themselves were not particularly friendly, something that didn't fail to catch Tanya's notice.

"Do they not like me?" She asked me once during the day.

I just shrugged. "I have no idea," I lied easily.

I heard her ask the same thing to Edward, and heard him give a similar response. I felt left out the whole day- it was like I was the seventh wheel. Alice had Jasper, Rose Emmett, and Edward had Tanya. It was only I who was all alone.

I went home that night, and did nothing all through the next day. It was Saturday, so Charlie had gone fishing. I knew that Edward and Tanya were together, and Alice and Jasper, so I assumed that Rose was with Emmett as well. So I cleaned the house, looking for something to keep my busy.

It worked well; I had something to do till mid afternoon when Edward called me.

"Hey Bella," He said, when I answered.

"Oh, hi, Edward. Back from your date?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as friendly as possible.

"Oh, yeah. Listen, I called to ask whether you wanted to go out tonight."

"Who all?" I asked, hoping that _she _wasn't included.

"Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, Tanya and me," He replied.

"I'd love to Edward, but…" I paused.

"But what?" I asked.

"Um, Charlie wants me at home for dinner." I fibbed.

"Yeah right. Charlie has never had a problem with you going out. If you want, I'll ask him for you."

"Fine!" I snapped. "You want to know why? Because I'm not interested in being the seventh wheel- the odd one out- _again_."

I slammed the phone down in anger and regretted it that instant. Tears formed in my eyes when I realized that he wasn't going to call back.

I guess they went out that night. I wasn't really sure, because the next day, when I went to Jasper's house to meet him and Emmett for football, they didn't say anything.

I went through the day without getting any major injuries. I got a few cuts, but that was normal.

Half way through the day, Edward showed up, but I avoided him, going inside to Jasper's room so that they could talk comfortably. I didn't come back down till Jasper said he was gone.

The next day at school was extremely awkward. Edward and I were being polite to each other, making small talk. Everyone's curious eyes were on us, wondering what had happened and why we weren't acting normal.

I didn't give them any explanation, and I was pretty sure that he didn't either, because at the end of the day they still looked stumped.

I didn't want to explain to them only to tell them what I already knew- I was being selfish and self centered. Edward had been my best friend ever since I could remember, and now he was always with someone else. Nothing I said could justify my actions.

I think Edward was expecting an apology, but I didn't give him one. I wasn't ready to say sorry just yet. It may happen- but not now.

Alice had postponed our picnic trip to next weekend. I had begged her to let me stay at home, but she told me that if I didn't come, she would never talk to me again. I didn't tell her that Tanya was the reason I didn't want to come, and I couldn't ask Alice to tell her not to come either, because Tanya had already agreed to come.

I spent the whole week thinking up new excuses to avoid the picnic, only to have all of them shot down by Alice. In the end, I agreed to go, only so I could spend time with her, Rose, Emmett and Jasper. I wasn't too anxious about being there with Edward and Tanya- but I decided I would be as cheerful as possible.

I was angry at myself for not liking Tanya. She was nice, friendly, and she made an effort to get to know me. The only reason I didn't like her was because I felt as though she was stealing away my friends from me.

I hated to admit it, but I was jealous.

One day after school, Alice told me they were all meeting at her house. I decided to go with them- just so that she would stop being so angry at me.

It was all going fine- I had Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper to talk to- till Alice decided to ask Tanya to show us how to dance salsa. Tanya had been learning salsa for 4 years, and she was supposedly very good at it.

We went out to her patio since it was a sunny day- a rare thing in Forks. Alice and Jasper, Rose and Emmett and Tanya and Edward immediately paired up, leaving me alone.

I did feel a little left out, but assured all of them it was fine, and went to sit on the side. After that afternoon, I felt my resentment towards Tanya starting to grow more and more.

The morning of the picnic, it was sunny, so I dressed myself in a midnight blue halter bikini. I threw on jeans and tank top on top of that, and waited outside for Rose and Emmett to pick me up.

They came, and we drove down to First Beach at the La Push Reservation. Alice, Jasper, Tanya and Edward were already there, making me groan internally.

I did not want to see how today would turn out.

**Okay, next chapter will be the beach, and possibly the entry of a new character! (I bet you all know who it is!)**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, I think it's been a really long time since I updated. Thank you so much for your reviews :)**

**Most of you guessed who's coming in this chapter... Anyway, enjoy :)**

We joined Alice, Jasper, Edward and Tanya. They were sitting around a pile of driftwood. Rose and Emmett joined into their conversation, leaving me to listen silently. Soon, Emmett and Jasper decided to go for a walk, to see the tidal pools.

"Coming, anyone?" Emmett asked.

"Want to go?" I heard Edward ask Tanya.

"Um… let's stay here. My feet are killing me from dance," She replied.

"We'll stay," Edward told Emmett, smiling apologetically.

It was that, that made me make my decision. "I'll come," I announced, standing up.

I joined Emmett and Jasper. Alice and Rose were staying back with Edward and Tanya, since they were apparently not in the mood to see the tidal pools.

"Be careful," Edward warned as we were about to leave.

"Why?" Tanya asked. I turned my back on them, following Jasper and Emmett.

"She's a real klutz," Rosalie said.

Tanya laughed. I usually don't mind people laughing about my balance problems- in fact, I'm used to it- but I minded when Tanya did it. I was in half a mind to go back and ask her what the hell her problem was, which surprised me, because I was not aggressive.

We reached the tidal pools, and we were sitting there, when Alice joined us. "I had to get away from the lovey-dovey couple," She explained as she collapsed next to me.

"They're really annoying, aren't they?" Jasper asked. "And here I thought Emmett and Rosalie were bad."

"They are annoying," I agreed.

Emmett and Jasper lapsed into a conversation about sports, leaving Alice and I in silence. "What's wrong, Bella?" Alice asked softly. "For the past few days, you've been… I don't know, different…" She trailed off, looking at me.

I shrugged and turned away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, Bella, if you can't tell me, who can you tell? I'm your best friend!"

"Really?" I asked, my voice mocking. "Are you sure I haven't been… let's see, _replaced_?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her voice indignant. "Replaced? You can never be replaced, Bella."

"Well, that's what it feels like," I told her. I could feel a lump in my throat, and my eyes stinging. I hastily wiped at them.

"Bella, just because we go out with Tanya, it doesn't mean you're being replaced by her. We'll put up with her as long as she and Edward go out. And she has nothing on you. Nothing."

She spread out her arms, and I leant forward and hugged her. "Thanks, Alice. I guess… Since Edward has been barely noticing me anymore, I feel like I'm losing everyone to her. First Edward, then you."

"I'm sure if it was a choice between you and Tanya, Edward would choose you in a heartbeat. He's known you for years, and Tanya? It's only been a couple of weeks since they met each other."

I smiled at Alice. "Well, even if he does choose her, at least I'll have you," I said.

"Forever," she promised. "Now, come on. Let's get back and eat lunch. And remember; don't let Tanya get to you."

We went back to where Rosalie was lying with her eyes closed on the picnic blanket. Edward and Tanya were not too far away, wrapped up in their own world.

"Okay, lunch time!" Alice sang, taking out the basket.

We crowded around, each of us grabbing a plate and some food. Alice, Rosalie and I sat separately, avoiding Tanya and Edward. We ate quickly, and each of the couples went their separate ways, Alice and Jasper going for a walk, Rosalie and Emmett sitting nearby on a bench and Edward and Tanya staying near the driftwood pile.

"Sorry," Alice apologized, before leaving with Jasper.

"Go," I said. "Yours and Jasper's relationship can't suffer because of me."

I was walking up and down the shore, staying close to the driftwood pile, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to find a tall, dark, Native American boy standing before me.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He asked.

I cocked my head to the side. "It's Bella. Do I know you?" I asked.

"I'm Jacob Black. Billy Black's son."

"Jacob…" I mused. Then it hit me. "Jake!" I exclaimed. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. He hugged me back.

"Glad to see you still remember," He said, grinning at me.

I grinned back. "How could I forget? You used to be my best friend."

"Yes, but it was years. Anyway, I'm back now!"

"That's awesome," I told him. "When did you come?"

"Yesterday. Billy has gone up to your place now. When we called Charlie he said you were here, so I came here instead."

"I'm glad," I beamed at him. Jacob and I had been best friends a few years ago, before he and his father moved to Ohio. That had been before everyone else moved here. After he left, I was sad, but soon after, Alice, Edward, Emmett and Jasper moved here, and then Rosalie. I never completely forgot about him, but I never thought that I would meet him again.

"So, have you guys moved back, or are you visiting?" I asked.

"We've moved back to the reservation," He said. "So that means we can meet each other more often."

"Definitely. Now, let me introduce you to my friends," I said, spotting Alice and Jasper in the distance.

We walked towards them. "Alice, Jasper, this is Jacob," I said, once we had reached them. "Remember? I've told you about him. And Jacob, this is my best friend Alice and her boyfriend Jasper," I introduced.

"Hey," He gave them a little wave.

"Hi, Jacob!" Alice said excitedly, standing on her tip- toes to look at him. Jacob towered over her. "Bella's told us so much about you. Are you visiting?"

"Nope," He said, popping the p. "We moved back."

"Cool," She said. "Have you met the others yet?"

"Um, actually, Bella, I was thinking, why don't we go back to your place? Charlie and Billy are there. Anyway, I can meet your friends anytime. I've already met the pixie anyway," He said, grinning down at Alice.

Alice pretended to look offended, and then laughed. "You have," She said. "You should go, Bella. Anyway, we'll be leaving soon, too."

"Okay," I said. "Bye Alice, bye Jasper."

They waved at me, Alice whispering, "Call me tonight," before we left.

"You do have a car, don't you?" I asked, uncertainly. "I got a ride with my friends, so I don't have a car."

"Actually, I don't," He said, apologetically. "But it doesn't matter... we could borrow the Clearwater's' car. Remember them?"

"Of course I do," I said, elbowing him playfully. "I've been living here, remember?"

He pretended to look hurt and rubbed the place I elbowed him. He laughed, "Of course."

We went to their house. Seth Clearwater opened the door. He was about 14 or so. "Hey Seth," I smiled.

"Bella! And who's this?" He asked, looking at Jacob.

"This is Jacob Black," I said. "You probably don't remember him. He moved away a few years ago."

"Nope, I don't. Anyway, what's up?"

"Well, we were wondering if we could borrow your parent's car…" I trailed off, looking at him hopefully.

"Sure. We're not going anywhere, anyway. We're just lazing around at home today. Here, let me go get the keys." He disappeared inside.

"Well, that was easy," Jake said, as soon as Seth was out of hearing range.

"Seth is really friendly," I said fondly.

"He is," Jake agreed.

Seth came back with the keys in his hand. "Here you go," He said, holding it out for me to take. "Mom and Dad say hi. Dad says be careful with the car."

"Tell him I will."

"See you, Bella. Bye Jake," He said as we left.

We drove home, talking about how our lives had been in the last few years. By the time we reached home, I had tears in my eyes from laughing so much. When Dad opened the door, he was surprised to see me with Jake right next to me.

"Jacob!" He exclaimed, giving him a hug and patting his back like guys do when they hug. "You've grown up," He told him, his eyes appraising him.

"Hey Billy," I said, going to the living room where Billy was sitting in his wheelchair. We shook hands.

"How've you been?" he asked me.

"Great. And you?" I asked in return.

"Oh, I've been getting by," He said.

I smiled at him and left to the kitchen to get dinner ready. "Come one, Jake, help me get dinner."

"I can't cook," He said bluntly.

I laughed. "Just sit there and talk to me while I cook."

He told me more about his school and friends in Ohio. I made spaghetti while listening to the times he and his friends had gotten into trouble at school.

"Sound like funny guys," I said. "Any chance they'll come down and visit you?"

"I don't know. But if they do, I'll definitely introduce you to them."

"Good. Now go call Charlie and Billy for dinner."

Jacob left to call them while I set the table. The phone rang. "I'll get it," Charlie called from the living room.

Billy and Jake came to the kitchen. "Looks good, Bells," Billy approved.

"Bella," Charlie said, entering the kitchen. "Phone for you. It's Edward."

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	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter!**

"Hello?" I asked, picking up the phone.

"Hey," Edward replied. "Where'd you disappear to today? I was looking for you."

_'Yeah right,' _I wanted to say. "Really?" I said, instead. "Wasn't Tanya keeping you… occupied?"

"Where did you go anyway? And who was that guy you were with?"

"I came home," I replied. "And _that guy _is Jacob. Remember me mentioning him? He was my best friend as a kid, and he's come back to Forks."

Edward was silent as he contemplated what I told him. "Nice," He said, his voice sounding cold. "So are you doing anything tomorrow night?" He asked. "We were considering going to the movies- just the gang."

I twirled the cord around my finger. "We'll see. I might have something planned."

He sighed. "Tell me in school tomorrow. Bye." He hung up without giving me a chance to reply.

I sighed and stood next to the phone for a minute composing myself before having to go back to Jake. Just as I was thinking about what Edward asked, Jake appeared.

"Hey," He said. "Anything important?"

"Not really. It was just my friend asking if I wanted to go to the movies tomorrow."

"Aw, and here I was thinking that I could ask you to spend tomorrow night with me," He replied. "But, looks like I'm too late."

I smiled ruefully. "Well…" I considered. "Not if I tell my friend that I have other plans… Plans that revolve around you and me."

He grinned. "I'm fine with that."

I smiled back. "Good."

"Then it's a date."

I raised my eyebrow. "I mean, as friends," He said quickly.

"It's a date," I agreed.

He beamed.

"Hey Bella!" Alice called excitedly from across the parking lot. I waved back at her and smiled as I saw her drag Jasper over.

"How was last night?" She asked immediately.

"It was great! Meeting Jacob again and then catching up with him- it felt like the old days," I told her.

"Awesome! So when are you meeting him again?" She asked curiously.

"Tonight," I admitted.

She squealed. "Wait-" Jasper interrupted. "Aren't we all going out tonight?" He frowned.

"Yeah, well, I was actually thinking-" I started, but Alice cut me off.

"It's fine Bella! Go have fun with Jake. You haven't seen him for years."

"Thanks," I told her.

"Why didn't you call me last night?" Alice asked, hands on her hips, accusatory note in her voice.

"Um… Sorry, Alice!! I was just really busy talking to Jacob and Billy, and by the time they left it was really late, and I didn't know if you would be awake-"

"Bella," Jasper said, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Breathe. It's okay. She's just kidding."

"Well, not really," Alice contradicted. "But, eh, whatever. Now, tell me more about Jacob!"

We walked to my class together, Jasper trailing behind with a bored expression on his face.

Later that day at lunch, Edward asked me whether I was coming that evening.

"Well, actually Edward, I have other plans…" I told him, biting down on my lip.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? With whom? Jacob?"

I nodded. "Is it a date?" Edward asked, his voice strangely cold.

"Not really," I said hurriedly. "We're just friends." I felt I was reassuring myself more than him.

"Okay," He said, turning away from me.

Did I like Jacob? Why did I have to keep telling myself that we were just two best friends meeting after a long time? He probably already had a girlfriend- good looking and sweet that he was. He would never be interested in someone like me.

Alice came over later that evening. She wanted to help me choose the perfect outfit for my "date" with Jacob. She went through all my clothes- even though she already knew what was there. Finally, she stepped back, shaking her head.

"I knew it," She announced.

"Knew what?" I asked from where I was sitting on my bed.

"That you wouldn't have anything to wear!"

"Of course I do! Look at all the clothes in there!" I pointed to the closet and dresser.

"Which is why I brought you something," She continued, ignoring my latest statement. She grabbed a bag I hadn't noticed earlier, and took out a blue, off the shoulder top and black leggings. "Ta-da! This is what you will wear," She told me.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope! Now come here, let me do your hair and make up!"

An hour later I was ready and sitting downstairs, waiting for Jake to pick me up. Finally, the doorbell rang, and I practically tripped over my feet, rushing to get there. I swung the door open.

"Hi!" I said breathlessly.

"Hey Bella," He smiled. "You look gorgeous."

I blushed. "You don't look too bad yourself." Jake was wearing blue jeans and a casual white shirt. I looked down at myself. "I'm not overdressed, am I?"

"You're perfect," He grinned. "Let's go?"

I followed him down the driveway to where the Clearwaters' car was parked on the road.

"You still have their car? Didn't you give it back last night?" I asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Yeah, but I took it back to come here. They didn't mind," He shrugged, driving down my street.

"So which school are you going to? Forks High?" Did I sound too hopeful?

"Nah, there's a school on the rez. I'm going there."

"Oh- where the other reservation kids go, like Seth and Leah."

"Hey, I had forgotten about Leah!" He exclaimed. "So, she's still around here?"

"Yeah… She's going to the local college here."

"I should meet up with her someday," He mused out loud. I felt a twang of jealousy. What was wrong with me? Jake and I weren't even going out. We were only friends.

"Be careful when you do," I warned him.

"Why?" He frowned.

"She has a really bad temper this day- I rarely see her smile anymore."

"What happened to her? She was fine as a kid."

"Things change," I told him. "I don't know the whole story, but what I do know is that she was going out with this guy named Sam, who dumped her for her cousin Emily."

"That's too bad," He said. "Anyway, why are we talking about other people when we're together? Tell me more about yourself. What all has changed since I left?"

"Nothing really. I just made some new friends. You already met Alice and Jasper- and then there's Rosalie, Emmett and Edward."

"That's cool. Nothing has changed on the Rez, from what I remember of it."

"True. So, where are we going?" I asked.

"Oh, just a little informal restaurant that I know," He replied nonchalantly.

I cocked my head to one side. "And shouldn't I know about it?"

"I don't know. Should you?"

I laughed. "Of course, Jake. I've lived here my whole life, remember?"

We pulled up to a little café in Port Angeles that I had passed by before, but never stopped at. We had reached there quickly, thanks to Jacob's maniac driving.

We ate a sandwich, chatting about random things, laughing and having fun. When Jake dropped my off back home, I told him truthfully that it had been one of my most enjoyable nights recently.

He walked me to the doorstep. "See you later?" He asked.

"Of course," I smiled. I stood on my tip toes and pecked him on the cheek.

"'Night Jake," I said, closing the door.

I smiled as I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. The moment I reached there, the phone started ringing. I picked it up. "Hello?" I said, the content evident in my voice.

"Bella, where have you been?" Alice screeched on the other end. "It's midnight, and you've only reached now?"

I glanced at my clock and realised that it was indeed, already 12. "Oops?" I offered.

"Whatever, whatever. How was it?" She asked excitedly.

"It was wonderful," I sighed. "Jacob is so sweet."

"I'm so happy for you Bella. It's about time you found your special person."

"Wait… Special person? Alice, it's been one date!"

"I know, I know, but cant you see how perfect you two are together?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Alice, I don't want to talk about mine and Jake's compatibility yet. Let's see after a few more dates."

"Fine. Anyway, the other reason I had called was to ask whether you wanted to have a sleepover this Friday night. You know, the 12th. The day before your birthday. At your house?"

"Sure! Anyway, what else would I be doing?"

"Hmm… Let's see… Maybe going out with your latest boy, Jacob?" She asked innocently.

I laughed. "We'll talk tomorrow in school, Alice. See you."

"Bye! Sweet dreams… about Jake!" She hung up before I could say anything.

I laughed and shook my head. Alice would never change. I got into bed and pulled the covers over me, thinking about Jacob before I fell asleep.

**Reviews would be nice.... please?**

**Anyway, to all of you reading We'll Face It Together or Finding True Love, I will update soon! Promise!**

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	10. Author's Note 1

**I know author's notes are really annoying- I hate them too. But I just had to let you know that things have been really hectic lately and I haven't had ANY time to write.**

**As soon as things cool down, I promise, I'll continue writing... I do not want to give up my stories!!**

**Don't delete me from your alert list- the updates will be coming in soon!!!**

**Xx-AddictedToTwilight-xX**


	11. Chapter 10

**Well, I'm back! I'm sure all of you are really, really angry at me. And I'm sorry for not updating. I can't assure you when the next update will be either, but I will try to update as soon as possible. **

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

I met Alice at school the next day. She wanted to hear every single detail about my date.

"Tell me everything!" She gushed. "Was he romantic? Did he kiss you good night? Did he say you were pretty? Did he-"

"Alice!" I laughed. "Relax. Take a breath." I waited for a couple of minutes, just to annoy her. "Yes, he said I was pretty. In fact the exact word he used was 'gorgeous', he wasn't very romantic- it wasn't really an official date, we were just going out as friends, and he didn't kiss me, I kissed him. There, happy?"

"Who kissed whom?" Emmett asked, standing behind me.

"Bella had a date-" Alice began.

"It wasn't a date!" I interrupted.

"Sure, sure. Okay, so Bella had dinner with her _friend_ Jake last night."

"Oh, I didn't know people went around kissing their friends…" Emmett commented.

I groaned. "It was just a good night kiss on the cheek, for God's sake! Jeez!"

"Sure, Bella," Alice said innocently. "Whatever you say."

I just shook my head and walked ahead of them to get to homeroom. On the way, I saw Tanya and Edward together, near Edward's locker. Next to them stood Jasper and Rosalie, chatting about something.

"Hey, Bella," Jasper called. "How was your date with-"

"It was not a date!" I huffed. "It was just dinner with a friend."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Right."

"What is wrong with you guys? Jacob and I are just friends- just as we always have been."

I noticed Edward listening to our conversation. "Well are you free tonight to hang out? Or are you too busy with your _friend_?" He sneered the last word.

"As a matter of fact, I do have plans," I lied frostily. I had no intention of hanging out with an angry Edward, who would no doubt irritate me before the night was over.

"Date on a school night?" He asked. "I didn't think Charlie would let you do that."

"Well Charlie happens to _trust_ Jacob to bring me back on time. Unlike _some_ people," I said that just to spite Edward, since he knew Charlie didn't particularly trust him after he brought me home late one night.

Edward glared at me, and then turned to Tanya. "Come on, Tanya. I can see where we're not wanted."

Both of them walked away, Tanya narrowing her eyes at me as they walked past me. _What's up with her?_ I wondered.

5 pairs of expectant eyes turned to look at me. "What?" I asked.

Alice just shook her head. "What's wrong with you, Bella?" She asked sadly. "You and Edward used to be best friends."

"Well that was before he got Tanya," I retorted angrily. Was Alice seriously blaming me? Then I realized that I sounded like a jealous girlfriend. "I mean, ever since he started going out with Tanya, he's just been acting weird."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Well from what I've noticed, both of you seem to be getting on each other's nerves."

"It's not my fault he's become so irritating these days!"

"Whatever," Jasper said. "This is your problem, not ours. You guys have to sort it out between yourselves. We'll do whatever we can to help, but until you realize how childish you're acting, there's nothing we can do."

The others nodded in agreement. One by one, they left to their respective homerooms, leaving me standing in the hallway, staring at their retreating backs.

The whole day passed in a daze. While my friends were not being unfriendly, they weren't acting normal. I guessed that this would continue until either Edward or I caved in and apologized to each other.

I didn't wait up for my friends after school as I usually did, but instead left as soon as the bell rang and drove home slowly. Truth was, I had no plans for the night, and I didn't want to call Jacob. He probably had other friends from the Rez to hang out with; I couldn't expect him to spend time only with me.

I spent the rest of the day reading books and cooking dinner. When Charlie asked me when I was in for the night, as I was usually out with the gang, I replied that I was tired, and didn't feel like going out. He didn't say anything, but I could see that he didn't believe me completely.

At around 8, Jacob called.

"Hey," He said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," I answered. "Just had a totally boring day."

"Really? You should have called me! I spent all day hanging around doing nothing!"

I groaned. "I considered it," I admitted. "But then I thought you might be busy with other friends."

"Right," He scoffed. "If I had other friends."

I smiled grimly. "Welcome to my life." Then, suddenly, it dawned on me. I sniffed as I realized that none of my best friends were talking to me. I was all alone.

"Bella?" Jake asked worriedly, hearing me sniff. "Bells? Are you okay?"

"No," I cried.

"Do you want me to come over?" He asked softly. "Wait…" I heard him rummaging around for something. "Got it!" I heard the jingling of car keys in the background, and realized he was going to drive over now.

"Jake, its fine. Seriously. It's too late to come over now."

"Your dad won't mind. See you." The line suddenly went dead, and I groaned. Now, because I couldn't control my tears, Jake was coming over at this time of night.

"Dad," I called out, walking into the living room where he was settled in front of the TV. "Jacob's coming over."

His eyes remained glued to the game. "Sure, sure. But not too late, okay? You have school tomorrow."

"Sure, Dad."

I decided to wait outside on the porch steps for Jacob to come. Within 10 minutes, he was pulling up to the curb in front of our house and walking towards me.

He sat down beside me. We were both quiet for a while, till he finally glanced at me and said, "So, are you going to tell me what happened, or not?"

That set me off. I started crying again, and I told him in broken sentences what had happened in school today, and how my friends didn't want to talk to me much until Edward and I patched things up.

"So become friends with Edward again. No big deal," He shrugged at the end of my outburst.

"It _is _a big deal," I insisted. "Ever since Edward started going out with Tanya, his whole world revolves around her. Plus, whenever we hang out, as a gang, I'm always the odd one out. The one without a boyfriend. Well, that I guess I can handle, but it's the way Edward treats me after he started going out with Tanya that bugs me. It's like we're not even friends anymore."

"Well, Bella, you can either fix things with Edward, or you can just wait for Edward's and Tanya's relationship to fizzle out, and then go back to being friends."

I frowned. "They just got together. That could take a while. I can't go without talking to any of my friends for that long. I'd be all alone."

"Of course you won't. You'll have me, won't you?" He grinned.

I smiled back at him. "True. Anyway, thanks for coming over. I guess I really needed someone to talk to. I feel a lot better now."

"Anything for you, Bells."

"Bye. Good night!"

"See you tomorrow."

I smiled as I watched him drive away into the darkness. Then my smile slowly faded away and I sighed as I realized that I still hadn't worked out a solution to my current predicament.

The next morning at school I was still undecided. None of my friends were talking to anymore, although Alice looked like she was wondering whether she should come over and talk to me, since I was sitting all alone the whole day, even at lunch. But she didn't, at although I felt hurt, I understood her decision. I placed myself in her shoes, imagining what it would be like to have two of her best friends fighting and getting on her nerves all the time.

While I was driving over to Jake's house after school I made up my mind. I would wait for Edward- wait for him to become friends with me again. After all, it wasn't my fault, was it? I still acted like friends after he started dating her; _he _was the one who started growing more distant.

Thus, setting my mind, I continued to Jake's house, my only friend in the midst of this confusion.

**For all the people reading my other stories We'll Face It Together and Finding True Love, I will try to update those too, soon.**

**Please, review! I need some feedback for this chapter, and your reviews will motivate me to write and upload the next chapter more quickly!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Okay, so it's been a while since I updated! But I hope to update more often from now on, and hopefully wrap up this story soon.**

I pulled the truck to a halt in front of Jake's house. Climbing out of the car, I crossed the driveway and path to the front door and rang the doorbell. No one answered, so I rang it again and waited. I frowned, and peeped in through the window on the side. No movement. I wondered where Jake would be.

I heard some sounds from behind the house. Looking around uncertainly, I went behind the house to see if maybe Jake was over there. I was right. Jake was bending under some car in a garage, fiddling around with something. Since I was in a good mood, I snuck up as quietly as I could behind him, luckily not knocking over anything.

I stopped just behind him, and lowered myself so my lips were near his ear. "Hello," I whispered quietly.

Jake jumped out from under the car, knocking over his tool box and kicking the car in the process. He yowled with pain and glared at me. I muffled my giggles. "I'm so sorry!" I gasped, fighting back my laughter. It felt good to laugh, so I let it out. I threw my head back and laughed at his expression.

Jake continued to glare at me, but his glare slowly melted into a smile as he watched me laugh. Then he started to chuckle along with me. "All right, all right. So you startled me."

I laughed even more. His eyes narrowed at me. "Joke's over, Bells. Stop laughing." One look at his face sent me into fresh peals of laughter.

"Alright, you're asked for it," He said with a sigh, stepping closer to me. The next thing I knew, I was tossed over his shoulder. All the air left my lungs in a rush, and I gasped.

"Jake!" I squealed, in an Alice-worthy fashion. "Jake! Put me down! Put me down right now!" I started kicking, but that didn't seem to affect him. He chuckled.

"Calm down, Bella, I'm not going to do anything." But he still didn't put me down.

I shrieked exasperatedly, but stopped me kicking and huffing when I heard footsteps and then a long whistle. "Kidnapping the Chief's daughter?" Said a voice, mockingly. "Who would've thought you had the guts, Jake."

Jacob stopped and chuckled, settling me down lightly. "I'm the last person Charlie would suspect, anyway," he said with a grin. "Might was well try it sometime." He said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at me.

The person snorted, and I turned to see who it was. There were two boys, each with dark skin like all the Quileutes, and long black hair. They looked familiar, but I couldn't place them. Maybe I had just seen them around during one of my many visits to La Push.

"Quil and Embry," Jacob said shortly, giving no further introduction. "And you guys know Bella already."

The one Jacob had introduced as Embry nodded. "We've seen you around," He said. "And of course, we know Chief Swan."

Quil walked over to the car and examined it. "What're you trying to work on here, Jake?"

The three boys lapsed into a discussion of various motor parts. If Rosalie was here she would have taken part in the conversation with great interest; but cars really weren't my thing. I wandered out of the garage and towards the edge of the forest. I stopped there uncertainly, wondering whether it was safe to go in.

"You'd better not," Embry said, joining me where I was standing. "There are lots of unknown things in there. And it's easy to get lost." He looked at me hesitantly.

"What?" I asked, feeling self conscious.

"It's just… Never mind," He said, shaking his head. He turned to head back to the garage.

"What is it?" I asked, stopping him.

He turned around to face me. "I saw your friends at the beach," He said. "You know, the ones you usually hang out with."

I looked at him. "So?"

"So, I was wondering what you were doing here, when they're over there. Whenever I see you, you're always with them. Now you're here with Jake."

I didn't say anything for a minute. "We had a difference of opinion," I said finally, walking past him to go back to the garage.

"Ah," He said, as I walked away. "You had a fight," he put it simply.

I didn't turn back, but said over my shoulder, "You could put it that way."

* * *

Later that night, after leaving Quil, Embry and Jake to their conversation about cars, I sat in my room, toying with the phone in my hands. Then, sighing and making up my mind, I dialed the number I knew so well.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Alice. It's Bella."

There was a pause. "Hi Bella," She said, finally.

I didn't wait for any preliminaries. "I miss you," I blurted out. "Not just you, everyone. And I know I'm acting really stupid, but there's nothing I can do! Edward is just not the same and-"

"Bella-"

"I just wanted to apologize to you, because you guys didn't even do anything wrong, but I'm still-"

"Bella! Would you shut up?"

I stopped in mid sentence. "I'm sorry," I said.

Alice sighed. "I'm sorry too, Bella. It's totally unreasonable of me to ignore you just because of your fight with Edward."

"How about we make a deal- no mentioning Edward till this whole thing is over."

Alice laughed, a light, tinkling sound. "I could live with that," She agreed. "So, if it's not too late, and Charlie doesn't mind, why don't you come over to my place? Rose, Emmett and Jasper are here."

"Of course Charlie won't mind. He's totally smitten by you," I reminded her.

She laughed again, and I smiled too. "Tell him I say hi."

"Sure. I'll be down in a few."

I hung up and practically skipped down to the living room. "Dad? Could I go to Alice's house?"

He pulled his gaze from the TV. "Whose house?"

"Alice's, dad."

"Oh, Alice's. Yeah, sure. But don't be back too late."

"Thanks dad," I said, smiling at him. "She says hi, by the way," I told him, grabbing my keys and skipping out the door.

"Oh, well, tell her I said hi too," He called, just before I closed the front door.

I turned the truck on and backed out of the drive way. I was grinning the whole time. It had been only two days, but that just made me realize how much they meant to me.

I reached Alice's house within a couple of minutes and bounded up the driveway and to the front door. Alice flung the door open before I could even knock. "Bella!" She shrieked, grasping me in a tight hug. "I've missed you," She said, letting go of me.

"Jeez Alice, you're acting as though you're seeing her after years!" Rosalie remarked, coming out of the living room.

"It sure feels like it," Alice said in response.

Rosalie gave me a small hug. "Glad to see you finally came to your senses, Bella." She smiled as she said it, to show that she meant no offense.

I followed them into the living room, where Emmett and Jasper greeted me without taking their eyes off the game on the TV. Alice huffed and stood in front of the TV, her hands on her tiny waist.

"Guys, attention, please," She commanded. Emmett and Jasper glared at her.

"Do we have a choice? You're blocking the TV," Jasper pointed out.

She smirked. "As was my intention." She looked around at us. "So, since Bella has decided that she's not going to abandon us like Edward did, I say we forget about him and ignore him tell he stops acting like an insufferable prat."

"Hear, hear!" Said Emmett enthusiastically.

"So, we're not going to mention him or talk to him unless he comes and talks to us himself. Everyone okay with that?"

We all agreed, and Emmett looked at her expectantly. "Yes, Emmett?" She asked.

"Move."

**Now, quick question: should I update all my stories simultaneously, or work on one at a time?**

**Review and let me know!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Oh, look, it's an update!**

**I'm so, so sorry. All I can say is that I'm really going to make an effort to finish up these stories now.**

"Okay, so now that we are officially not talking about _him_, let's do something fun! Something fun without _him_!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes at me. "Alice," she said firmly. "It still counts as talking about Edward when you say _him_. We all know who you mean."

Alice pouted. "At least I didn't say his name!"

Just then the phone rang. Alice jumped up from the couch and skipped to get it. "Hello?" She asked cheerfully.

"Oh, hi, Edward." Her voice was flat.

"Speak of the devil," Rose muttered under her breath.

"Why am I being so cold? WHY AM I BEING SO COLD?" Alice screeched into the phone, making all of us jump. "Let me see Edward. You act all mean to Bella."

I smacked my forehead at that one.

"Then you ignore all of us the whole day," She continued. "Not just a whole day. Almost two whole days. Two fricking days. And you ask me why I'm being cold?"

Emmett shuddered. "Remind me never to get on her bad side."

Jasper nodded in agreement, looking shocked at this new side of his tiny girlfriend.

"Hmm… Well… Since I'm in a good mood, I'll forgive you."

My head snapped up and I stared at Alice. What had we just decided 10 minutes ago? What happened to not talking to him because he had acted like a total moron? She gave me an apologetic look. I stared at the ground.

"Thursday night? Yeah, that sounds good." She paused while he said something and looked almost angry for a second before sighing heavily. "Yeah, whatever. Bye, Edward."

Alice hung up and walked back to us. "I'm so sorry, Bella. But I couldn't not forgive him… I mean, despite what we had agreed on earlier, he did just what you did, calling and apologizing and all. And I can't forgive you and not him, right?" She asked softly.

I nodded. I understood how it was for Alice, having both her best friends not talking to each other. And honestly, I didn't want them to get involved in this fight. I didn't want their friendship with Edward to suffer just because we were having problems.

"Well… I should go, Alice. Charlie didn't want me to be too late."

I said goodbye to everyone and let myself out. I drove home, thinking about what was happening. A week ago, if someone told me that I wouldn't be speaking to Edward because he had a new girlfriend and was ignoring me, I would've told them that they needed to get their head checked. Because I always believed that Edward and I would be together, no matter how many girlfriends or boyfriends came and went.

A part of me wondered whether this whole thing was my fault. Was I just being a jealous bitch? Granted, I wasn't being friendly to Tanya and Edward, but that was just because of how they made me feel. You don't just invite someone for a group hangout and go off in couples, leaving someone alone, I justified.

It gave me pleasure in realizing it wasn't only my fault.

* * *

The next day at school was awkward, again. Edward had joined our little group in the cafeteria and the tension in the air was palpable. For most of the time, Edward and Tanya were wrapped up in their own little cocoon. I was trying to ignore them, when suddenly I heard Tanya mention Romeo and Juliet.

"Can we watch Romeo and Juliet, Edward? Please?" Tanya pouted at Edward.

I smirked internally, waiting for Edward to inform Tanya that he hated that movie and there was no way they could watch that. After all, I was the only one who could ever get him to agree to watch it.

"Of course, Tanya," he said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Whatever you want."

My mouth almost fell open. Almost.

I looked round at the table to notice that Alice and Rose were oblivious to what was happening. Jasper and Emmett were giving me looks of sympathy, however.

I stood up, and they followed suit. We walked out of the cafeteria, Alice, Rose, Edward and Tanya watching us curiously.

"I can't take it anymore!" I moaned once we were outside the doors of the cafeteria.

Emmett grinned at Jasper who grinned back. They both turned to me.

"We know what can take your mind off this, Bella," Jasper said.

Emmett leaned in to me. "My house, after school. Football."

I smirked at them and nodded my approval. Laughing, we went our separate ways to class.

* * *

"Alright, Bella, ready?" Emmett asked. I nodded at him.

We were in Emmett's backyard, about to start playing football. This time, however, we were determined to not let me get hurt.

The game was progressing quite nicely, when suddenly, I was Emmett lumbering towards me, like a big bear. Actually, he was a big bear. A big, soft teddy bear. I didn't feel worried.

But then Jasper came in the way, to try to take the tackle, and Emmett tripped. And fell. On Jasper. Who fell on me.

And then everything was dark.

* * *

"Bella?"

"Bella, we know you can hear us." This was a different voice.

I opened one eyelid slightly and winced at the bright, fluorescent lighting. My eyes closed again.

"Bella!" The first voice called out in panic. "Quick, Jasper, call a doctor! She's going to die!"

I felt a small smile form on my face as I opened my eyes and fixed the on Emmett's panicked face. Jasper chuckled and winked at me.

"Oh, thank goodness, you're alive!" He cried out dramatically. "I almost thought we lost you there, Bells."

Suddenly the door was flung open and in marched Alice and Rosalie. "Boys!" Alice shrieked. "How could you!"

All of us winced, particularly me. My ears were still getting used to normal noises. Emmett and Jasper had similar looks of guilt on their face.

"Why do you look guilty?" I mused out loud.

"Because we're the reason you're in here," Jasper explained.

"What? No, Alice! It's not their fault!" I tried to sit up, but my head throbbed and a sharp pain shot up my leg.

Rosalie pushed me back down and glared at me, as if daring me to try and get up again. Yeah, right. Like I'd ever go against Rose's death glares.

"You wait, Bella, I'll be getting to you in just a moment." Alice shook her finger in front of my face. She whirled back to the boys. She put her tiny fists on her hips. "How DARE you play tackle football with her after what happened last time? Didn't you learn anything at all?"

It was quite a sight, two huge, muscular men cowering in front of tiny Alice. I started laughing. All of them looked at me, shocked.

"Bella?" Jasper asked tentatively.

I started laughing more at the sight of his worried face.

"Is she hysterical?" Rosalie whispered.

"Should we slap her? That's what they do to hysterical people, I think," Alice said.

That shut me up.

* * *

I arrived at school the next day on my crutches and a bandage wrapped around my head. Everyone stopped and asked me what had happened. They were quite amused when they heard it happened because of tackle football. Some guys even had the nerve to suggest that I deserved it, since I was a girl trying to play football. The look Rose sent him shut him up.

I accompanied Jasper to his locker. We had decided that I would keep all my things there, since his locker was centrally located and I wouldn't have to walk much.

To my surprise, Edward and Tanya were leaning next to his locker, evidently waiting for him. Edward took one look at me hobbling along with my crutches and at my bandaged head and rushed towards me.

"What happened to you?" He asked worriedly. "Did someone do this? Are you okay?"

I smiled at Edward's concern and was about to answer him when Tanya placed her hand on his arm. He looked at her and then back at me. His demeanor changed.

"I mean… Never mind. Bye, Jasper."

He walked away with Tanya, not even looking back at me.

I felt the tears start to roll down my face.

**I know it's a short one... But atleast it's a chapter, right?**

**I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. I wrote this chapter in an hour when I should've been studying. I promise to give you guys a longer one next time =)**

**Check out We'll Face It Together, I've updated that as well.**

**Reviews will make my day and help me write faster =)**


	14. Chapter 13

**I realize it's been a month, but I'm sorry- I just had a lot going on.**

**I know I said I'll give you a longer chapter, and although this is longer than the previous one, its still not very long.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!**

"Shh," Jasper murmured, enveloping me in a tight, comforting hug. He rubbed my back soothingly.

I leaned back and hastily wiped my tears away before anyone saw me crying. "Why is he doing this to me?" I wailed. "We were best friends! Doesn't that mean anything to him?"

"I know, Bella," Jasper said, looking at me sympathetically. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I want to go home," I said.

"What? Bella, you can't go home just because of this, you-"

"I want to go home!" I said again.

"They're not going to let you."

"I'll tell them my leg hurts," I crossed my arms across my chest stubbornly.

"You can't drive," He pointed out.

Damn, he had a point. "Jasper? Please? Will you please drive me?"

Apart from the old Edward, Jasper was one of the sweetest guys ever. I could count on him for anything. So no matter how much he tried to dissuade me, I knew he would agree in the end.

10 minutes later, I was limping out of the front office towards Jasper's car.

"How come you brought your car today?" I asked him curiously. Normally he just rode with Alice or Emmett.

"Alice was running late, so she decided she didn't want to pick me up today," he chuckled.

"Oh." Was my brilliant response to that. "Well, I'm glad."

"Of course you are," he said, rolling his eyes. We drove in a comfortable silence to my house. "Bella," he said hesitantly. "I just wanted to let you know, that all of us are here for you. It's hard, losing your best friend to another girl, and it's understandable that you feel this way. Even though Emmett and I may not know how to show it, we do try," He laughed, remembering yesterday's "Football Fiasco", as Alice had started to call it. "You can always come to us if you need anything."

I was touched by what Jasper said. "Thanks, Jasper," I smiled at him. "I'm going to hold you to that."

He laughed and turned onto my street. "Well, here we are!" He pulled up into my driveway, got out and came around to the passenger side to help me out.

"Thank you," I said as he helped me out of the car and gave me my crutches. He watched me walk to the front door and then waved as he pulled out and went back to school.

Inside, I left my bag near the door and went and sat in the living room. Now what? Jasper had been nice enough to bring me home, and now I had no idea what to do. I couldn't go back, obviously. Then I remembered why I had left in the first place, and I was glad I was at home. I desperately wanted to talk to someone. Well, not just someone… I wanted to talk to Jacob.

But Jacob wouldn't be home now. He would be in school, as I should be. I toyed with the phone, trying to make up my mind. Then I dialed the number, figuring trying wouldn't hurt. To my surprise, Jacob answered.

"Hello?" He said brightly.

"Jake! What are you doing at home?" I smiled into the phone.

"Bells! What are _you _doing at home? Playing hooky?" He asked, his voice suggestive.

I laughed. "Nope, just decided to take the day off. I'll tell you about it later. Do you want to do something? I'm bored."

"Sure! Why don't you come over here?"

I sighed. "I wish I could! I hurt my leg though, so I can't drive."

"Well then…" He pondered. "Looks like I should stop by at the Clearwater's and see if they'll let me borrow their car."

"Are you sure?" I asked uncertainly. "You won't get into trouble, right?"

"Chill, Bells," I knew he would be rolling his eyes as he said that. "Harry is dad's best friend, apart from Charlie. He's not going to deny me anything."

"True," I grinned. "Okay then, see you soon!"

I occupied myself by limping around the house and cleaning up the mess that had been accumulating the past few days. Soon enough, I heard a car pull into my driveway. I peeked out of the window to see Jacob strolling up to my door. I couldn't help but grin as I made my way as fast as I could do the door. I swung it open before he had the chance to knock- his hand was frozen in midair as I opened it.

"Eager, much?" He asked, responding to my grin with a wide one of his own.

"I'm so bored! I know I just came home from school a little while ago, but-"

"Wait, you came home?" He frowned at me. "Why are you back so early? Because of your leg?"

"Well," I said slowly. "Not really." Then I noticed he was still on the doorstep. "Oh, sorry Jake! Come in!"

"Are you sure the Chief would let me in here alone with his daughter?" He leered at me mockingly.

I slapped his arm lightly and hobbled towards the living room. "Yeah, right," I scoffed. "Charlie loves you."

We sat on the couch together. "See, even though my leg doesn't really hurt, I used it as an excuse to get out of school. I don't like lying or skipping school, but there was really no way I could stay." I looked at him pleadingly, hoping he would understand and not think too badly of me.

"Aww, Bells, I'm no one to judge you! Look at me; I didn't go to school either!"

I laughed at that. "Yeah, you're right." I was silent for a few minutes.

"So…" Jacob prompted after a while. I looked up at him, and he rolled his eyes. "Aren't you going to tell me what's wrong?"

I hesitated for a moment, and he caught it. He put his hand on my knee reassuringly. "It's about… Edward." I winced and his eyes narrowed, just as I had predicted.

"Bells, I know I told you that you should be patient and he would be back to you and all…. But I don't think he's worth you getting so worked up about."

I sighed in frustration. "I can't help it, Jake! He was my best friend! When he treats me like this-"

"What did he do?" Jacob growled. "Is that why your leg is injured?"

I rolled my eyes. "Edward would never hurt me- not physically, atleast."

"Then how did this happen?" He nudged my foot lightly.

"Jake, would you just wait? Do you want to know about Edward or my foot?"

"Sorry," He smiled guiltily. "Okay, tell me the whole thing, from the top."

I launched into an explanation of how Jasper and Emmett had tried to cheer me up with some tackle football. He was snickering by the end of it.

"You want to learn some real tackle football? I'm the pro," He held up his arms and showed me his muscles, a smug smile on his face. "Seriously, though." He continued. "What a stupid way to end up on crutches."

"I don't think I want to go near a football for a long, long time," I said, declining his offer. "I don't even know what made me take them up with this whole football thing. I suck and hand-eye coordination sports."

I had always been a failure and sports or dance, or even just walking around for that matter, much to the disappointment of my mother. As a child, she would send me to ballet classes, hoping I would learn some grace. In school, my classmates quickly learnt never to let the ball come close to me, since I would end up injuring not only myself, but everyone else in close proximity.

And it was no shock to anyone anymore when I tripped over my own feet and went flying forward to meet the ground. Everyone had gotten used to it, but Emmett still seemed to get a kick out of watching me stumble around.

"And what about Edward?" Jacob's voice pulled me away from my thoughts.

I quickly told him about all that had happened this morning, glad to be able to rant and vent to someone without taking into consideration that they were Edward's friend too.

At the end of the story, Jacob looked really mad. Kind of sad, too. It looked odd on him; he was usually cheerful and happy and smiling.

"Oh, Bells," he sighed. "You've got it bad, haven't you?"

I just nodded, not trusting my voice to not break if I spoke.

"Well," he said enthusiastically a minute later. "We'll just have to cheer you up!" He stood up as he spoke, holding his hand out for me.

I looked at it warily. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Jeez, Bells, chill. I'm not going to make you jump off a cliff, or something. Actually," he pondered. "That probably would make you happier."

I gasped. "You jump off _cliffs _to be happy?"

"It's called cliff diving, Bells, and it's a popular La Push recreation activity."

"Sounds suicidal to me," I muttered.

He rolled his eyes again. I briefly wondered if his eyes would get stuck like that if he kept doing that. I shook my head slightly. I really needed to get out of the house and do something. I took Jake's hand and he helped me to the car, locking the front door behind us.

"Where are we going?" I asked after a while.

"La Push," he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He drove to his house and helped me out of the car. I saw Billy watching me from the window. Uh- oh.

"Billy's not going to tell on me, right?" I asked worriedly.

Jacob chuckled. "I wouldn't put it past him. He and Charlie gossip like old women." He noticed my worried expression. "Don't worry, I'll tell him I was helping you keep your mind off the pain of your leg or something."

As if Charlie would buy that.

"What do you want to do?" Jacob asked me, running his hand through his long black hair. He reached into his pocket to take out a hair band to tie it, but I stopped him. "

"It's nice when it's open," I told him. It was true- Jake had smooth, silky black hair up to his shoulders.

He grinned at me and I thought I saw a slight blush on his cheeks.

Then I remembered that Jake and I had gone on a date before. So where did that leave us? Were we just hanging out as friends or was it… A second date? I felt my eyes widen. Did Jacob think that?

I looked up at him. "Jake… what are we now?"

"Huh?" He looked at me, confused.

"As in… We went on that date the other night, remember? So where does that leave us now?"

His face fell slightly, and I wondered what he was thinking. "Bells, I understand if you don't want to date me- after all, I'm just your dad's friend's son from the rez, so I totally get it if-"

I cut him off. "Jake." He looked at me. "Why don't we take a walk down the beach? Seems like the perfect setting for our second date," I smiled at him.

He looked surprised for a minute, and then broke into a wide grin. "Really?" I nodded my head. He laughed, and we turned to go to the beach. He reached for my hand uncertainly, and I squeezed it gently, letting him know it was okay. He smiled at me, intertwining his fingers with mine.

We walked hand in hand to the beach, and I vaguely registered that if someone saw us, they'd assume we were a couple. Was I honestly against that? I really liked Jacob- but I wasn't sure whether it was just a friendly thing, or something more.

Brushing those thoughts away, I leaned into his shoulder and smiled up at him. He pushed away a lock of my hair that had fallen on my face and smiled back. I would deal with everyone else later. For now, it was just me and him.

**Review! =)**

**BTW, this is NOT going to be a Bella and Jacob FF... It's just temporary!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Well, look at that! Another chapter in 3 days. And a longer one too =) **

**Thanks for all the amazing reviews! You guys are awesome! =) I have a feeling you'll like this chapter ;)**

I spent the day at the beach with Jacob. Although I had tons of fun- being with Jake was never dull- it felt wrong, somehow. Maybe because it was supposed to be a date, while I was pretty sure now that my feelings were strictly platonic.

We'd walked up and down along the shore, getting to know little things about one another and just generally catching up. He told me more about Rachel and Rebecca and I told him about my friends. We both exchanged school stories and gossip.

But then when we stopped near a driftwood tree, and he started to lean in, I panicked. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't even sure of my feelings! I turned my head to the side, and his lips brushed my cheek instead of my lips.

He'd looked at me, surprised and slightly hurt.

"Sorry," I'd muttered, ducking my head down to avoid looking at him. "I'm just… I don't know how I feel yet."

I'd looked up at him and saw that his hurt expression had been replaced by a cold, indifferent mask. He nodded tightly.

"I actually need to get home," he said curtly. "Maybe we should hang out some other time."

I'd nodded mutely and turned around, heading slowly towards my truck. At first, I was hurt by the way he had dismissed me, but the hurt quickly turned into anger. I wasn't ready to kiss, and he got mad about that? He should have been patient and told me that he would wait.

When I pulled up into my driveway, I was surprised to see Edward's Volvo parked outside my house, and Edward sitting on the front steps. I got out, using my crutches and limped over to where he was sitting, his head in his hands. He hadn't even looked up when he heard the roar of my truck, which wasn't easy to miss. Especially not to someone who was so familiar with it. Or had he forgotten what that sounded like already, just like how he'd forgotten about our friendship?

I was suddenly nervous as I reached him. What was he here for? Was there some kind of trouble?

I stood in front of him, and then cleared my throat purposefully. He jumped, and looked up at me. He was on his feet within seconds. He looked anguished.

"Bella," he choked out. He glanced at the driveway and saw my truck standing there. "I'm so sorry I didn't come help you- I didn't notice the truck." He held my elbow and supported me up the stairs while reaching for the key under the eave and unlocking the door. He led me through the door and into the living room, making me sit down on the sofa. "Do you need anything?" He asked. "Water, juice, food…?"

"No," I said coldly, raising my eyebrows at his flustered appearance. "What are you here for, Edward?" I asked outright.

He looked taken aback by the direct question, but also seemed to expect it. He paced in front of me, running his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he had picked up long ago.

"I came to apologize," he blurted out. "How I've been treating you… it's unacceptable."

"You got that right," I muttered.

"You have to understand, Bella," he said, sitting next to me on the sofa, "that Tanya is a part of my life now, too. I have to respect her wishes as well. "

It took me a second to work that out. "_Tanya _doesn't want you talking to me? And you're listening to her?"

He shook his head. "No, Tanya never said that. She's just very… Insecure. And with the close relationship that you and I share, she became even more uncertain. She told me all this, and I didn't want her to feel that way, so I decided to curtail our interaction. She seemed to be fine with this, so I continued it."

"What about _my _feelings, Edward? Did you ever think that there might be a third person getting affected by this? That maybe I should be taken into consideration too?"

"I did, Bella, and I'm so sorry," he said, looking into my eyes. "It seemed like the right decision at the time. But today, when I saw you all injured- I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"But?" I asked, waiting for the inevitable.

"But Tanya stopped me," he sighed. "And then I saw the look in your eyes as I turned away. It was so painful, knowing that it was because of me."

I sat, stunned. Edward didn't choose to stop talking to me. He did it because of Tanya. Part of me wondered whether to be glad that he hadn't started this himself, or angry because he went along with whatever Tanya said. I was more inclined towards the latter, but maybe I was still hurt and mad because of Jacob and Edward.

"So what now?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear his answer.

His eyes stared into mine with such intensity that I was unable to look away. "I'm not going to stop being with you, Bella," he said. "I don't care what Tanya says. If she really likes me, she'll be supportive. You're my best friend, and nothing's going to keep us apart."

I blinked, and suddenly tears filled my eyes. I threw my arms around him, wrapping him into a tight hug with he returned eagerly. "Oh, Edward! I'm so glad! Of course, I don't think I'll be able to completely forgive you yet, but that should happen soon enough. You see, I'm kind of messed up right now because of Jacob and all, but don't worry, you-"

Edward cut off my rambling. "Jacob?" His eyes narrowed. "What did he do? Are you two going out?"

I shook my head. "Today was our second date… We were at the beach, and then… he tried to kiss me."

Edward growled, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," I told him. "Anyway, I didn't let him, and he was kind of mad, and hurt, about that. And I got mad because he didn't understand that I wasn't ready. That's when I realized that I think of Jacob only as a friend, not as anything else."

He nodded. "Good," he said. "I don't like the look of him."

I slapped his arm lightly. "Shush. He's still my friend."

"But not your best friend," he winked.

I laughed with him, glad to have him back. Then I dropped the smile. "Can I ask you something?" I said, hesitantly.

"Anything, Bella."

"Did you and Tanya…" I stopped, not wanting to sound too stupid.

He raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out."

"Did you guys watch Romeo and Juliet that day?"

Edward stared and me blankly for a second, and then burst out laughing. I glared at him, crossing my arms and huffing.

"Sorry," he laughed. "But your expression was hilarious!" His face turned serious. "Bella, I hate that movie," he reminded me. "And the only time I'll watch it if is you ask me. No one else can make we watch that, not even Tanya."

I smiled brightly and hugged him again. I knew it was stupid, but that movie seemed like something Edward shared with me and me alone. I couldn't bear the thought of him watching it with someone else.

"Is that why you left at lunch?" he asked me curiously. "Because you heard Tanya ask me?"

I nodded my head. "Emmett, Jasper and I played football to distract me."

He shook his head. "Silly Bella," he said, ruffling my hair. "You should've known better than to play football. Speaking of which, remind me to kill Jasper and Emmett later for letting you play and doing this-" he pointed at my leg and crutches "- to you."

"It's not their fault," I said hastily. "I was the one who agreed. And plus, me getting hurt was a huge accident. Both of them fell on me at the same time."

Edward winced. Although Jasper was not as huge as Emmett, both of them combined could cause serious damage. I was proof of that.

"If I was there, I wouldn't have let you go near that football, even with a 10 foot pole," he said dramatically.

"But you weren't there," I pointed out. "That was the whole point."

A wave of hurt passed over his face, and I instantly regretted saying that. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

Edward gave me a grim smile. "Bella," he said softly. "You have no reason to be sorry. What you said was absolutely true. I'm the one who should be sorry… And I am, truly sorry. I know it might take you time to forgive me and trust me again, but believe me Bella; I won't give up on you. You're my best friend, and no matter how long it takes you, I'll be waiting."

I smiled at him. "Well, you won't have to wait long Edward! Yeah, you did really hurt me, but like you said- we're best friends, and nothing can change that."

He gave me a magnificent smile and all of a sudden, it was like no one else existed anymore. It was just me and Edward, with no Tanya or Jacob to worry about. It was just like how it used to be.

"So what are you going to do about Jacob, anyway?" He asked casually, but I could tell he was dying to know.

"Well…" I smirked, playing out the suspense a little long.

Edward groaned. He could read me too easily- he knew exactly what I was doing.

"I don't know," I said truthfully. "Jacob is a really good friend. In fact, he was my best friend before he moved away and you came here. But with his feelings towards me… Obviously things can't remain the same."

"That'd just be weird," Edward agreed.

I nodded. "But I can't help but think… Maybe I should let Jacob be happy? Maybe I should just agree to go out with him?"

Edward was shaking his head right away. "No way. Not only would you be making yourself uncomfortable, you wouldn't be fair to him. He deserves someone who really likes him, and not just feels bad for him."

"Where did you get all this concern for Jake from?" I asked, smirking.

He grinned. "I don't care if he's happy going out with someone else, as long as that person's not _you_. Like I said, I don't like the look of him, and I don't want my best friend going anywhere near him." He nudged my shoulder playfully.

"Hey, don't be so judging! Jacob really is a nice guy."

He just rolled his eyes at me.

"I'm really hungry, Edward," I said, trying to get off the couch. "Do you want something?"

He stood up behind me, only to push me back down. "You stay put," he said firmly. "I'll go get you a snack."

I sighed. "I'm not bedridden! I can still walk around! How do you think I manage when you're not around?"

He pondered that for a moment. "Maybe I should get Alice to plan a sleepover at your house tonight. She and Rose can watch you."

"I don't need anyone to _watch _me," I growled.

He smirked at me and went to the kitchen. I waited till his back disappeared and then hauled myself off, following him.

"There's leftover pizza in the fridge," I announced, hobbling into the kitchen.

Edward groaned and closed the cupboard he had been looking into. "Why are you so stubborn? Can't you just sit and let people take care of you for once?"

"Nope!" I said happily. I tried to make it to the fridge before him, but he beat me to it.

"Go sit," he said, pushing me lightly to the table.

I sighed loudly but complied, sitting at the table and watching as he heated up two slices of pizza. It felt familiar- the two of us in the kitchen, just hanging around.

I heard my phone ringing and I was about to get up to get it when Edward stopped me. "I'll go," he said, flashing me a smile.

He was back in the kitchen a minute later, the phone held to his ear. He held it out to me, grinning, "It's Alice."

I put the phone to my ear, and all I could hear for a while was excited squealing. When I had gotten her to calm down, she shouted "Edward's there!"

I glared at Edward for answering my phone, but then grinned into it. I couldn't help but be excited. "I know!" I squealed back.

Edward just shook his head at us from where he was leaning against the counter, eating his slice of pizza.

"You have to tell me everything. And I mean everything. Tonight, after he goes," Alice hissed into the phone, somehow managing to sound threatening while being excited at the same time.

I laughed. "Of course. And I have a few things I want to ask you, too." I felt Edward's eyes on me. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sure! Have fun!"

"Bye, Alice." I hung up and looked at Edward. He silently passed me my slice of pizza while raising an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked, feigning innocence.

He shook his head. "I don't even want to know."

The next few hours were spent with Edward. We were talking and catching up as though we hadn't seen each other in years, rather than just around a week. He was telling me things about Tanya, although that was kind of awkward for me, but I retaliated with funny stories of Jacob which left him scowling. We were sitting on the couch and watching Pride and Prejudice when Edward sighed and announced that he had to get home for dinner otherwise Esme would kill him.

I pouted, but walked him to the door. "We have to do this again," I told him.

"Definitely. I'm not going anywhere," he said.

"How about Romeo and Juliet next time?" I smirked.

He glared at me for a moment. "For you… Sure." He smiled at me. "How does tomorrow sound?"

"Tomorrow sounds perfect," I smiled. "See you in school!"

"Bye Bella!" He waved at me and jogged to his car.

I closed the door behind me and went upstairs. Although it was still early, I was tired and eager to get into bed. I checked my phone and noticed I had a new text.

'_Bella, I'm so sorry about what happened today. I realize you aren't ready, and I just hope your feelings for me haven't changed because I know that mine haven't .Please, forgive me? =( Jake.'_

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	16. Chapter 15

**Soo, I finally update! Haha, sorry about the wait. I promise to try and get them out faster next time. This chapter is just sort of a filler, I guess. There's not much to it. We'll have some more drama coming up soon! **

**And sorry it's so short =/ I just thought it would be a good place to end, and I didn't want to prolong the wait any more!**

**Enjoy!**

I sighed as I stared at the text from Jake. I was pondering whether to reply to him or not, when I remembered that Alice had asked me to call her. And I did not want to get on her bad side by not calling. Plus, I wanted her advice about Jake. Although what I planned to do was clear… Edward was right. I couldn't pretend to like Jacob just to make him happy. That wasn't fair to him.

I pressed number 3 on the speed dial, listening to the familiar caller tune Alice had set. A couple of seconds later, Alice answered with a chirpy "Bella!"

"Hey, Alice," I laughed, lying backwards on the bed.

"I can't believe this!" She squealed. "I was calling you to ask whether you'd be okay with me inviting both Edward and you to dinner, but the he answered! Why didn't you tell me, Bella? You should've told me he was coming to your house! This is so cool! Are you two-"

"Whoa, calm down, Alice," I said, cutting off her chatter. "I had no idea he was coming! I was getting back from Jacob's place- long story, by the way- and there he was, just sitting on my porch! I couldn't believe it!"

"I was so worried when you left school this morning," Alice sighed. "But thankfully Jasper told me where you'd gone! He didn't mention anything about La Push, though," she said, sounding confused.

"Yeah, I hadn't really planned that till I got home and realized I had nothing to do," I explained. "Turned out Jake was ditching as well, so I went over to give him company."

"And…?" Alice trailed off, knowing there was more to the story.

"Well… He asked if I wanted to go to the beach, and I agreed. It was sort of a second date."

Alice squealed. "That's amazing, Bella!"

I sighed. "Not really. Jacob… Well, he tried to kiss me. And I didn't want to."

"Did he force you?" She growled.

"No, no, he didn't do anything! He got kind of mad when I stopped him, but that's it. And that made _me _mad. Shouldn't my feelings be considered, too?" I asked angrily. "It's not all about him! Ugh!" It felt so good to vent to Alice.

"So you just left?"

"He asked me to leave." Well, sort of.

"How rude!" She sounded indignant.

"Whatever," I said bitterly. "I talked to Edward about him."

I could almost see Alice rolling her eyes. "How did that go?"

"Bad," I admitted. "He basically told me he doesn't want me going anywhere near Jake, and that I should break up with him. I was planning to do that anyway…"

"Really?" She sounded surprised.

"I've realized that my feelings for him are strictly platonic. I like him as a friend, and a brother. Like how I feel about Emmett and Jasper. And Edward." I added hesitatingly at the end.

If Alice caught that- which I'm sure she did- she made no mention of it. "Well that's the right thing to do then," she agreed. "You should tell him soon, so that he doesn't get his hopes too high. Did he even apologize about today?"

"Yeah, he sent me a text. It just makes it all the more harder, because he said something like, 'I hope your feelings haven't changed, because mine haven't.'"

"It's going to be hard whenever you do it," Alice said gently. "But it'll probably be harder if you lead him on now. You should do it as soon as possible." She paused. "It's not fair to him."

I sighed again. "I know, it's not fair." I thought for a minute. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"Good," she approved.

"No wait, not tomorrow," I said. "I'm hanging out with Edward tomorrow. We're going to watch Romeo and Juliet," I smirked.

Alice laughed. "Of course. The day after, then."

I nodded, and then remembered she couldn't see me. "Yeah, the day after," I agreed.

"Well, it's great to know that your life has such eventful days," Alice teased. "You provide me constant entertainment."

"Glad to serve you," I joked.

"I'm beat. I'm going to go to bed now, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Good night, Alice."

"Night, Bella!"

I put my phone away and rolled over in my bed, going through the events of the day in my mind. The prospect of hurting Jacob by telling him I didn't have feelings for him was hard, but I was too happy about Edward coming back to dwell too much upon it. For now, at least.

* * *

The next morning at school, I was bouncing along with Alice to where Rose, Emmett and Jasper were waiting. It was kind of hard, because of my crutches, but I managed. I was just so happy. They looked at me like I had lost it.

"And what's good gotten you in such a good mood, Bella?" Jasper asked as we stood in front of them.

Alice looked like she was going to burst from not being able to tell them.

"Edward apologized to me!" I squealed.

Rosalie immediately hugged me and told me how happy she was for me, but Emmett and Jasper didn't look as pleased.

"What?" I asked them.

They glanced at each other. "You accepted it?" Emmett asked. "Just like that?"

I looked at him, confused. "Why wouldn't I? It's Edward!"

"We know, Bella," Jasper said soothingly. "But… He's caused you so much pain." I must have looked angry, because he quickly said, "We're glad to see you happy," he looked at Emmett, and he nodded his head, agreeing with Jasper.

"We really are," he continued. "We're just surprised."

I was happy that they cared so much about me. "Guys," I said, walking in between them towards our lockers as the bell rang. "I'm flattered that you feel so protective over me, and that you care so much, but I'm sure this is the right thing to do. I spent the whole of yesterday afternoon with Edward."

"Of course we care about you, Bella!" Emmett said in his booming voice. "Wasn't the football proof of that?"

I laughed. "I can't thank you guys enough for supporting me when Edward was hurting me," I said quietly. "It means a lot."

Jasper gave me a small, one sided hug. "Just be careful, okay?"

I nodded at him and smiled gratefully. We parted ways to go to our classes.

I didn't see Edward till lunch. I had gotten my food and walked over to where Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, Edward and Tanya were sitting. Tanya glared at me when I put my tray down, and I wondered briefly whether Edward had told her about us.

Edward gave me a huge smile when I sat down, which I returned happily. The others smiled too, happy for us, while Tanya looked on, confused.

"Edward," she said, turning towards him. "Let's go out for dinner tonight."

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, as if daring me to protest. I sat still, wondering what Edward would do. Would he tell her the truth? Or would he disappoint us all and play into Tanya's hands again?

"Sorry," he said, sounding only slightly apologetic. "I have plans."

"With who?" She pouted.

Edward smiled at me. "With Bella."

I beamed at him. Tanya looked incredulous. "_Bella_?"

"Yes, Bella," he said, patiently.

"But-" Tanya started.

"Later, Tanya," he said, cutting her off.

"What are you two planning on doing today, Bella?" Rosalie asked from across the table. I was pretty sure she knew exactly what we were doing, and wanted to rub it in Tanya's face. I was glad that I wasn't the only one who didn't like her.

"Um, we…" I looked at Edward for support. I wasn't sure whether he wanted to say it or not.

"We're watching Romeo and Juliet," He said for me.

"But you hate that movie!" Tanya exclaimed. "You didn't want to watch it with me!"

Edward didn't reply, and Tanya huffed, crossing her arms. Rose looked triumphant.

After that, the conversation was somewhat awkward, with Alice and Emmett discussing trivial things to fill the uncomfortable silence. Tanya glared around the table every few seconds, while Edward and I just sat, nibbling at our food and occasionally glancing up at one another. Rose and Jasper just listened, sometimes adding things in.

Once school was over, I was walking to my truck with Rose and Alice who had parked their cars nearby.

"Don't you guys like Tanya?" I asked curiously. I had honestly thought they considered her a friend.

"Please," scoffed Rose. "Don't even think that way."

Alice nodded. "The only reason we put up with her is because she's dating Edward. I don't know what he sees in her!"

We reached our cars. Jasper and Emmett were waiting there. Edward had already left, saying he needed to drop Tanya off before he came over to my place.

"Bye guys!" I said, waving to them as I got into the cab of my truck.

They waved back. "Have fun!" Alice called out.

As I drove home, I wondered what would happen between Edward and Tanya now that I was back in the picture. I hoped Edward wouldn't stop talking to me again if Tanya asked him to, which she probably would.

My fears were wiped away as I turned onto my street and I saw Edward's Volvo parked near the curb of my house. He was sitting on the porch, waiting for me.

I parked the truck in the driveway and walked over to him.

"You're getting better with those crutches," he observed.

I smiled happily. "The support helps me not fall."

I opened the door and let him in, noting that he looked kind of frustrated. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

He ran his hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose, meaning he was really frustrated. "Oh, just the normal stuff," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Tanya and all."

My heart jumped unevenly in my chest. So there was trouble with her. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked uncertainly. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it.

He shook his head. "No, its okay," he smiled tightly. "There's nothing to talk about. I told her plainly that if she asks me to choose between you and her, there's no doubt that I would choose you."

My heart soared and I fought back a grin. "I'm sure she didn't like that."

"She sure didn't." He paused. "She said that maybe we should rethink our relationship."

"How do you feel about that?" I asked.

He was quiet for a minute, and I thought that he wasn't going to answer. "Honestly?" He finally said. "I'm not sure I don't agree."

**Review, please? For the people who have been reviewing almost every chapter- keep it up! I love reading your reviews! For the people who haven't been- well, I'd like to know what you think too! And constructive criticism is always appreciated!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Here's the next chapter! =) Thanks for all the reviews! You guys make my day =)**

I couldn't help but smile at that, although I tried to hide it. What I was most happy about, however, was the fact that Edward would choose me over Tanya. _Me._

"Well are you up to doing something today?" I asked him.

He rolled his eyes. "A little argument with Tanya isn't going to do anything to me. Come on; let's go watch the tragic story of star-crossed lovers!" He said dramatically.

We went into the living room and settled on the couch, watched Romeo and Juliet. I noticed that his phone beeped every so often with a new text message, but he ignored it and paid attention to the movie.

When it was over, he got up and scratched his neck awkwardly. "Now what?" He asked.

"Umm…" I said, not entirely sure. Then my phone rang, saving me from answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Want to come over and hang out? It's been ages since we got together as the whole gang!"

"One second, let me ask Edward." I put the phone down. "Do you want to go hang out with Alice and the others?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"Alice?" I said into the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, he's fine with it. Should we come over to your place?"

"Come to Jasper's," she said. "And, uh, is Tanya coming with you guys."

"I don't think so," I told her. "I'll ask him and text you."

"Okay, see you then! Bye!"

"Bye," I said, and hung up. I turned to Edward.

"Ask me what?"

"Alice wanted to know if Tanya's coming with us…"

He shook his head and smiled tightly. "She's not. And I'm sure Alice and Rosalie will be pleased to know that."

I was sure my mouth dropped open. He knew? Rosalie didn't exactly hide it, but Alice tried to be nice to her, just because she didn't want to hurt Edward.

"Oh," I said. "Well..." I wasn't sure what to say.

"Its okay, Bella, I know that none of you are too fond of her."

I blushed and looked down. Edward was my best friend, and as much as I would like to be friends with the girl he's dating, liking Tanya was just impossible. Especially after she tried to separate me and Edward.

"Shall we go?" He asked after an awkward pause.

I nodded and followed him outside. He started heading to his car. "If you want to ride with me, I'll drop you off on the way back," he called over his shoulder.

He opened the passenger side of the Volvo. I slid in and he closed the door, then walked over to the driver's side and got in. I fiddled with the stereo as he drove towards Jasper's house. Clair de Lune filled the car and I settled back in the seat, content.

He chuckled. "I'm glad to finally have someone else play this song."

I looked at him questioningly.

"Tanya hates it," he muttered, and I nodded in understanding. Very few people liked and appreciated classical music. I was lucky I had a friend like Edward, who shared my passion for classical.

He pulled up near Jasper's house which was only a short way from my house. We walked to the door, where Rosalie flung it open.

"Thank god you're here," She said, grabbing both of us and yanking us inside. "Alice and Emmett won't stop fighting."

We followed her into the living room, where Alice was standing on the couch and shouting at Emmett, who was sitting near the TV and studiously ignoring her.

"What's wrong?" I asked Alice.

She turned to me and put her hands on her hips. "That- that excuse of a human being spilled coffee all over my Gucci shoes!" She cried out.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "It's okay," I told her. "Remember last time something like this happened? Your dad just got you another pair."

"I know…" She said, slightly calmer. "It's just that they were one of the first ones out!"

Rosalie sighed, evidently relieved that the argument was over, while Emmett still refused to look at Alice. Everyone knew he was sulking.

Jasper entered the room with a glass of coke and handed it to Alice who accepted it gratefully.

"You're giving her caffeine?" Edward sounded surprised. I was, too. It was a known fact that Alice got extremely high when she had even a little bit of caffeine in her system.

"It'll help her get over this," Jasper explained.

Sure enough, after Alice had drunk the whole cup, she was getting excited. "Jazzy," She cooed. "Didn't you and Emmett want to talk to Edward about something?"

Jasper and Emmett exchanged a look with each other and then nodded at Edward who followed them out of the room.

"What was that about?" I asked Alice, who just laughed and continued to paint her nails. When Rose returned from the kitchen, I asked her too.

"Oh, that," she laughed. "They wanted to warn Edward not to hurt you," she paused. "I think it's cute, actually."

I stared at both of them. Jasper and Emmett were warning Edward? That was akin to threatening him! As much as I loved Emmett and Jasper, I didn't want them to do this for me. I didn't want Edward to take it the wrong way and start a fight. Or even worse, stop talking to me again.

I got up and ran in the direction they had gone in.

"Bella?" Rosalie called after me. "Where are you going?"

I ignored her and went to Jasper's room, guessing that they had gone there. Sure enough, I could hear their voices. I pressed my ear to the door.

"We know you and Bella are best friends, but we love her too, and we just need to make sure that you won't do anything to hurt her again," I could hear Jasper saying.

"I know I hurt her," Edward said. He sounded frustrated. Should I go in? "But it's not something I plan on doing again. So you guys have no reason to worry."

"Good," Emmett said. "I'm glad we understand each other." I heard the sound of something being hit, so I assumed he had clapped Edward on his shoulder. "Let's go back down then."

Before I could react to their words and move downstairs, the door opened and I tumbled inside, slamming into Edward's chest.

"Whoa," he said, holding out his hands to steady me. "Slow down there."

I took a step back and blushed. I had been caught eavesdropping on my friends.

Emmett smirked at me. "What're you doing here, Bella?"

"Uh- nothing," I squeaked out.

Edward grinned at me. "It's okay Bella, you can admit it."

I huffed. "Fine! I just wanted to make sure you guys didn't do anything rash and start fighting." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at all of them.

"We wouldn't have done anything," Jasper said, rolling his eyes. As if to prove his point, Emmett clapped Edward on his shoulder again before going back downstairs, Jasper following him. Edward winced slightly. Although he was extremely muscular, Emmett was the strongest, something he took immense pride in.

"Come on, let's go back down," I said to Edward, starting to go.

"Wait," Edward said from behind me.

I turned around. "What?"

He was fidgeting slightly. "I just wanted to tell you not to worry… I'm never going to do anything to hurt you. I don't want you to feel anxious or worried about our friendship, because what happened earlier was the worst mistake I ever made, and I'll never do something like that again."

I smiled up at him. "I know, Edward. Thank you for assuring me and telling me, but I can tell that you really are sorry about what happened."

"Bella!" Alice screamed from downstairs. "Come down here, right now!"

I rolled my eyes. "Alice beckons."

He followed me downstairs, to the living room, where everyone else was sitting. Emmett and Alice had apparently patched up, as they always did after such trivial arguments.

"Are you two up for another movie?" Jasper asked from the couch.

I glanced at Edward who looked kind of hesitant. "I'm actually kind of tired. Dealing with Alice wears me out," I joked.

All of them chuckled, except Alice who glared at me and crossed her arms. "How rude, Bella."

"Aww, you know I love you!"

She grinned. "True."

After saying our goodbyes, Edward and I left Jasper's house. We sat in silence in his car as he drove me home. As I was about to climb out of his car, he stopped me. "What are you doing tomorrow?" He asked casually.

I blushed, grateful that the darkness hid it. "I'm, uh- kind of busy. I have to meet Jake."

"Oh." He replied.

"I need to tell him that I think of him as only a friend," I explained, although I was not sure why I felt compelled to do so. I paused. "Maybe you should hang out with Tanya," I suggested.

"Yeah…I guess I should."

"She is your girlfriend, after all," I continued.

He nodded, but I could see a small grimace on his face, lit up by a streetlight outside.

"I will," he said. "See you tomorrow, Bella. Good night!"

"Good night, Edward." I waved at him as he backed out, and then went inside.

Charlie and my mom were on the couch, watching TV.

"Hey!" I said, flopping down on the armchair.

"How was your day?" My mom asked me, looking away from the TV. She worked as a masseuse in a spa at Port Angeles, so she was often there till evening. Charlie also worked irregular hours; and it was a rare occasion that all of us were in the house together.

"It was good… School was normal, then Edward came over and we watched a movie. We just got back from Jasper's house." I yawned. "I'm going to go up to bed. Good night!"

Both of them said good night, and I went upstairs to my room. I looked at my phone and saw that I had two missed calls from Jacob. I called him back.

"Hello?" he answered after two rings.

"Hey, Jake. You called?"

"Oh, hey Bella. Yeah, um, you didn't reply to my text last night, so…"

"I'm sorry about that… I saw it, but then Alice called, and then I was really sleepy, so I didn't get a chance to reply. Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Nope, I'm free! Did you want to come over?"

"Yes, actually… Can I?"

"Sure! I'll plan the day out- it'll be tons of fun."

I felt a twinge of guilt when he said that. He was so eager and excited. I didn't want to break his heart. "Jake… We need to talk tomorrow."

There was a pause on the other end. "Talk?" His voice sounded foreign. "Is this about the other day?"

"Not really… I'll tell you tomorrow, I can't do it over the phone."

"Okay, then. Come over tomorrow, and we'll go to the beach and talk. Good night."

He hung up without waiting for a response.

And I was reminded once again of why this was the right thing to do.

**I know Jake wouldn't really be all rude and stuff (okay, maybe he would, sometimes) but I need him to be like that. **

**So here's the thing- I'm already done with most of the next chapter, so if you review, I can give you a sneak peak! I can't promise to do it for every chapter though, so don't expect it all the time. If you leave a signed review I'll send a sneak peak, otherwise leave an email ID if you really want it.**

**I'm kind of facing writer's block for the next few chapters =/ Oh well, I'll do my best! There's not much left to the story anyway!**

**Review! =)**


	18. Chapter 17

**Sorry this took a while! School started and things have been hectic. For those reading my other story, that'll be updated soon too!**

"It's the right thing to do," Alice said for the umpteenth time. "Don't forget."

I nodded my head, grateful for her pep talk, even if I had heard it too many times throughout the day.

It was right after school, and I was about to head to Jake's house to 'break-up' with him, as Rose put it. I tried telling her that we had never really been going out- we had only two dates, after all- but she didn't listen.

Jasper and Emmett were glad I was breaking things off with him. Apparently they had never really liked the look of him. Edward looked particularly smug when they had said that.

And Tanya just ignored me.

Edward and Tanya had been acting strange at the lunch table. They were being extremely polite to each other, and they hardly spoke. I wondered whether Tanya was really going to give him the ultimatum when I noticed the way her eyes narrowed every time Edward and I talked to each other, but felt better knowing that Edward said he would choose me over her.

"Yeah," Rosalie said, snapping me back into the present. "Once you stop seeing him, you can broaden your horizon and start going out with someone else. Even if that someone else is just as dense and can't see it," She muttered that last part under her breath so quietly, I was sure I wasn't supposed to hear it.

I cocked my head to the side curiously and was about to ask her what she meant when we reached my truck, and Alice started talking again.

"Okay, I know you Bella, so I know you're probably going to go there and think about backing out." I blushed, but she just continued. "I don't care how nervous you are, or how hurt you think he's going to be. In the long run, this is better for both of you."

I nodded my head and took a deep breath. "I can do this," I said to myself. Alice nodded in approval. "Okay, thanks a lot, guys. I'll call you and let you know how it goes."

I got into my truck and waved to them as I pulled out. I had reached the main road and was on the way to La Push when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw 'mom' flashing across it. I sighed and pulled over to the side of the road.

"Hey, mom."

"Bella!" She chirped out. "I've got wonderful news, honey!"

"Really?" I asked skeptically. "What is it?"

"My spa decided I'm doing a wonderful job here and they want me to go to Jacksonville to take over in the other branch for a few months! We're going to live in Jacksonville, sweetie! Isn't that amazing?"

My heart stopped for a minute. "Wait- we?"

She laughed. "Of course, silly. You didn't think I'd go up there alone, did you?"

"What about dad?" I asked desperately. "He can't leave his job for that long."

"Oh, Charlie will stay here while we go. We'll leave in a couple of weeks and come back in the summer. Oh, we're going to have so much fun!"

"Mom, what about school? And my friends?"

"You're smart, Bella, I'm sure you can handle switching in the middle of the year. And you can always make new friends! These ones will still be here when you come back."

My heart clenched painfully at the thought of leaving everyone behind for that long. "Mom, think about it," I said, trying to sound calm. "It doesn't make sense leaving for just a few months and then coming back. Maybe I should just stay here." Please say yes, I begged silently. I'd do anything to stay.

Mom sighed on the other end. "I don't know, honey. It'd be a wonderful opportunity for you. But anyway, I have to get back to work. We'll talk about this when I get home. Bye, Bells! Love you."

She hung up, and I dropped my phone on the passenger seat, staring numbly ahead of me. A few months was a big deal. I couldn't leave Alice, Jasper, Emmett or Rosalie. Or Edward. I felt a throbbing pain in my chest when I thought about leaving Edward which confused me. Why did I feel any different?

I shoved those thoughts out of my head and focused on what I had to do now. Go talk to Jacob. I sighed and pulled back onto the road, driving to La Push.

I pulled up in front of Jake's house but made no motion to get out. Jacob had sounded angry and rude last night. I just hoped he didn't make a huge scene out of this.

I got out of the cab just as Jacob came out of the house. He looked sullen. There was no hint of the cheerful boy I was used to.

"Shall we go down to the beach?" I asked him.

"Are you sure you don't want to just finish it off here?" He asked bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest. I glared at him till he sighed and dropped his arms. "Fine. Let's go. But I know what you want to talk about."

I looked at him uncertainly but he didn't elaborate. I just shrugged and led him to the beach where we sat under a tree.

"Should I just spare you the whole talk? You look like you're going to burst from nerves." He grinned at me, but I couldn't tell if he was faking it or not.

"Fine, what do you think I'm about to say?"

"You're going to tell me that we should just be friends."

I felt a little shocked but brushed it away. Of course he would know- what else would I need to talk to him about? I looked down and shuffled my feet in the sand. "I'm sorry," I said finally.

Jacob sighed. "Don't be. It's not your fault. I guess there's just nothing between us that way."

"Do you feel that way too?" I asked him hopefully.

He didn't reply directly to my question, but just said, "I like you, Bella."

"I like you too, Jacob, but as a friend. Or a brother. Any other way is just weird."

He nodded and looked out to the sea. "So is that it?"

"What?"

"That's all you were nervous about? Seriously Bella?" he grinned at me playfully, and I was glad to see that he wasn't being mean or sarcastic.

I faked a pout. "I was more nervous about how _you _would react. You're such a drama queen."

He rolled his eyes and pressed his hand to his heart in mock hurt. "Ouch."

I laughed. In the end, I was just happy that Jacob and I could still be friends with each other. Maybe we could go back to normal- like nothing had ever happened.

My phone rang, and I winced, hoping it wasn't Renee again. "Hello?" I said without looking at the screen.

"Bella!" Alice squealed at the other end. "Okay, since I let you off the hook for your birthday- we only had that sleepover- we're going to go all out with Jasper's! The party is day after tomorrow, and you have to be there. But be warned, Edward is bringing Tanya."

"Why would that bother me?" I asked her, trying to sound nonchalant. "You and Rose said that she used to be a nice person… If not to me, than at least to you two. I hope your friendship isn't suffering because of me."

"Yeah, she used to be nice. Now she's just mean- all the time. Oh, I almost forgot to ask! How did your talk with Jake go?"

"I'm still at the beach," I said, not wanting to talk about it in front of Jake. "I'll call you back later."

"Okay, then! You know, if things end well between you two, you should invite him to Jasper's party. Then you won't be the odd one out if we end up going off in couples. But make sure you're very clear that you're going only as friends, and nothing more."

"I'll keep that in mind. Bye!" I hung up and turned back to Jacob.

"So are we good?" I asked him. I crossed my fingers behind my back and hoped that he wouldn't hold this against me. Plus, I really wanted him to come to Jasper's place.

"We're good," he grinned. "I just want to know one thing."

I looked at him anxiously. "What?"

"Well, I just want to make sure that this is the real reason you don't want to date me. You don't have to let me down easily. If there's someone else, I'll understand."

"Oh," I laughed. "There's no one else. Jake," I said, seriously. "You need a girl who'll actually feel something for you. Not like me, who thinks of you as a brother, or a friend."

"Okay, I'm fine with that," He said cheerfully. "As long as we can still be friends."

"Definitely. In fact, there's this party day after tomorrow. Do you remember meeting Jasper? Alice's boyfriend?"

"The pixie's? Yeah, I think so."

I rolled my eyes at the description. "Well it's his birthday party that day- apparently Alice is going all out- so I thought maybe we could together?" I made it a question and trailed off at the end. "Just as friends, of course."

"Of course, as friends. But yeah, I'd love to! You'd have to tell me what to get him, because I don't even know the guy."

"You don't have to worry about getting him anything, he'll understand. He's a lot like me- he'd probably like it better if no one gets him anything and he stays out of the spotlight. Of course, with a girlfriend like Alice, that's very hard," I laughed.

"Okay, if anyone yells at me for coming empty handed, I'm putting the blame on you," He joked.

"Trust me, you don't have to worry." I glanced up at the darkening sky. "I think I should head back home. Mom's getting off early today, and I need to make sure she doesn't blow up the kitchen."

Jacob chuckled and shook his head. "Trust Renee to do something like that."

We walked back to Jacob's house and he stood at the curb as I climbed into the cab. "I'll text you the address," I called out. "See you!"

"Bye Bells!" He waved.

As I drove home, I remembered the talk Renee wanted to have with me. I would have to put my foot down and tell her there was no way I was moving in the middle of the school year- just to come back again. She didn't really need anyone to come with her.

I parked outside my house and entered to find Renee in the kitchen, just about to put a steak in the oven.

"Looks good, mom," I complimented. I was glad I had reached in time.

"Thanks honey."

"Where's dad?"

"He's coming late today. I thought it'd give us some time to talk."

"Yeah, about that mom-"

"Wait." She cut me off. "I thought about what you said, and it makes perfect sense. I should've known that you wouldn't want to move away in the middle of the year."

I sighed in relief. Thank god.

"Which is why I'm going to give you the choice- you can come with me of you want to, or you can stay here with your dad."

"I think I'll stay here, mom."

"Just think about it," She pressed. "You have about a week. No need to choose so quickly."

"Okay," I conceded. Not that it needed much thought- I wasn't going to leave Forks so easily.

Mom and I ate dinner together and then I went up to my room to call Alice. "Hey Alice!" I said when she finally picked up. "What took you so long?"

"Oh- um, Jasper's here."

"Oh." I said awkwardly. "Should I call later?"

"No, it's okay, let's just make it quick. How did it go?"

"Really good, actually. I thought that he would get angry and be rude, but he was surprisingly civil. And he accepted it easily."

"That's great. Did you invite him to Jasper's party?"

I heard Jasper groan in the background at the mention of his party. "Yeah, and he said he'll come."

"Good, good. Listen, Bella, I'm going to talk to you tomorrow, okay? I'll see you on Sunday!"

"Bye! Have fun with Jasper," I teased.

She hung up and I flopped back onto my bed. I was so happy Jacob was being civil and understanding. And even better, my mom wasn't forcing me to move. I was definitely staying- there was no doubt about that.

**Review please!**


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